


Become Almost Human

by WayWardWonderer



Category: Almost Human (TV), Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Bleeding, Bonding, CPR, Case, Crossover, Danger, Detectives, Deviancy, Drug Dealer, Friendship, Gen, Healing, Hospitals, Hurt, Infection, Mystery, Partnership, Recovery, Rescue, Trust, Unconscious, Virus, Whump, Wounded, bullet, deviant, fall - Freeform, injured, saved - Freeform, shot, synthetics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 36,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25255549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayWardWonderer/pseuds/WayWardWonderer
Summary: A strange case leads Connor and Lt. Hank Anderson away from Detroit and into The City to work alongside John Kennex and his synthetic partner, Dorian, when a dangerous new drug threatens to flood The City's streets. The two types of artificial lifeforms and two human detectives must solve the case and find their suspect before anyone gets hurt, or worse, dies from the lethal drug.
Relationships: John Kennex/Valerie Stahl
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	Become Almost Human

**Author's Note:**

> *Also Chapter 15 in my "Torn Alliances* series. Please excuse the quality of the photoshopped image at the top, I'm not a photoshop expert.

The winter day seemingly started off any other day for the only two detectives handling Detroit's deviant division until they were both summoned into Captain Fowler's office to be informed of a new assignment that was incredibly unorthodox, and somewhat controversial. The progress in the deviant-human relations in the city of Detroit had gotten notice in a very positive manner throughout the country, and as a result the handful of other cities that housed androids coexisting alongside humans were very interested in how Detroit was handling the changes with the law and android rights. Such attention came with its pros and cons; one of the pros being a donation toward the city and its charities regarding android well fare, the cons being constant criticism and people nosing about in official business with androids and the law.

One such nosy group stemmed from the infamous city simply known as "The City" along the East Coast. While Detroit had its ups and downs through years of tension and technological progress being adapted into day-to-day life, "The City" had its own problems that revolved around twice the population, almost quadruple the crime, and easily twice the bigotry aimed at all artificial life.

Leaning back in the chair as he crossed his arms over his chest Hank gave Captain Fowler a righteously perplexed stare and made sure his commanding officer knew exactly what he thought about the assignment that he and Connor now needed to handle. "Seriously? What the fuck? Why send us?"

Dragging his left palm over his forehead where a powerful headache was brewing Captain Fowler gave his Lieutenant an annoyed stare. "Because you two are the experts in handling crime with deviants, Hank. Not to mention ever since you and Connor have been partnered up you've mellowed out and are acting more like the Lieutenant I was proud to say was apart of my precinct." He dropped his hand and nodded at Connor as the deviant sat in the chair beside Hank remaining quiet and attentive. "And Connor, you're one of the best detectives I've ever seen; deviant or human you're one of the absolute best."

"So what?" Shaking his head at the comments Hank wasn't swayed and wanted nothing to do with the assignment. "We're good at our jobs and we get along as partners because we're friends." The assignment was one that Hank didn't want to take part in and he was adamant in not accepting it. "Why do we have to go to a whole other city and clean up their messes?"

"Because they need help. You know how fucked up things are out there."

"Maybe if they didn't build a damn wall that keeps people desperate and paranoid then things would chill the fuck out without us having to step in and point out the obvious problems."

"Hank, enough. You two have been requested personally by Captain Maldonado herself, and it's been approved. She needs you to help out with the crimes focusing on the artificial life in her district."

"It would've been nice to have been told about this shit _before_ everything was signed off!"

"I said enough! You're going, and you'll be there for a week or until you get shit straightened out. Whatever comes first..." Pointing to Hank and then to Connor in a stern manner with his right index finger Captain Fowler made his orders final. "Head out tonight, and meet the guard at the border, you'll be cleared through and will have temporary assignment in the Delta precinct."

"Fuckin' hell..." Looking over at Connor as the deviant's circular L.E.D. remained blue in color and pulsed at a standard rate in his right temple Hank sighed in defeat and motioned with his right thumb pointed over his shoulder to the office door to leave. "Let's go." Standing up from his chair Hank waved over the deviant to join him as exited the glass office and grumbled the entire time as he trudged over to his desk. "Pack your bags, kid. We're going on a dumbass road trip to take care of a dumbass city."

Watching as Hank clocked-out at his terminal screen Connor cybernetically clocked-out at his own and his L.E.D. cycled to yellow for a moment. "I thought we were already taking care of a 'dumbass city'."

Laughing at the comment Hank greatly appreciated the quip and suddenly his mood wasn't so foul. "Well, you're not wrong about that..."

* * *

With only a black backpack filled with his perfectly folded extra dress shirts, a set of night clothes, an emergency set of casual clothes and two pints of Thirium just in case he needed it Connor managed to pack light, while Hank was a little bulkier. Throwing random shirts, jeans, socks and sweatpants into an old black dufflebag Hank grabbed some snack food out of the kitchen and loaded up the backseat with the bags and goodies before checking on the oil in the Oldsmobile before going on the lengthy road trip. The deviant made sure that Sumo had some fresh food, clean water and made sure that Chris knew to check in on the massive lovable Saint Bernard at least three times a day to ensure he wasn't neglected while he and Hank were gone for the week.

Despite Hank's initial reluctance to leave Detroit to handle another city's problems the senior detective had to admit that being able to have a change of scenery for a while was going to be good for him, and he knew that Connor being able to see the world beyond Detroit's city limits was going to give the deviant a brand new experience to grow from.

Sleeping for the first half of the six hour long drive Hank finished up the final three hours so Connor could some rest as well, and enjoy the scenery that only comes from an expressway lined with billboards and leafless trees in the distance. Sitting in the front passenger seat with his hands folded neatly atop his lap Connor looked more like a statue than a passenger, and the quiet was beginning to annoy Hank.

"So... Do you know what our case is going to be about?" Breaking the silence as Hank saw the first of two checkpoints leading to the The City's entrance the experienced detective didn't want to be caught off guard with ignorance. "We better not be cleaning up the aftermath of another Revolution or some shit. We don't get paid enough to play cop _and_ janitor."

Staying silent for only a minute more as his L.E.D. flickered from blue to yellow for a second Connor answered the question in a casual tone. "From what I've been cybernetically informed our case revolves around what appears to be a serial killer targeting synthetics in the City."

"...Synthetics? Man, I haven't heard that term since CyberLife reared its ugly head almost twenty years ago."

"It seems the City decided that the term 'synthetic' was more definitive and made it easier for the humans to remind themselves that the androids walking their streets aren't really alive."

"Well, they're wrong."

"In this case I don't think that's entirely true."

"How so?"

"The design of the synthetics is vastly different from the androids created by CyberLife. Those who created the synthetics had patents that were entirely unique than that of CyberLife, and as such deviancy has not spread to any android who did not originate within CyberLife."

"The androids in Detroit are different from the androids in the City?"

"Correct."

Different types of androids based on models and designs wasn't anything new to Hank, but knowing that there were completely different androids in origin and created by hands beyond CyberLife's greedy fingers was a very strange thought that never crossed his mind. "How are they different?" Passing through the first checkpoint, the car's license plate being recognized by remote security scanners as the vehicle drove through, Hank found himself suddenly intrigued with the synthetics existing in the City in the distance. "I mean, what exactly makes them unique enough from CyberLife androids to be unable to deviate?"

"Deviancy still isn't fully understood, but it's believed to have originated with an android known as the infamous 'RA9', and the sense of consciousness traveled from this deviant android into the other androids they came into cybernetic contact with. The awakening of a consciousness and emotions are the defining traits of a deviant, but what causes deviancy is still unknown. As for the synthetics, they are made from material and software that was solely created and distributed by 'Lumocorp Robotics Corporation'."

"Jeez, that's a mouthful for a company name. Keep goin'..."

"Since the software and material used in the creation of these androids is vastly different from what CyberLife used in the creation of androids in their manufacturing plants and warehouses and isn't compatible with the material and software used by 'L.R.C' then it means the phenomenon of deviancy is very unlikely to occur within this particular android community."

"No shit? Now _that's_ weird."

The reaction made Connor turned his head to look at Hank as his blue L.E.D. flickered to yellow for a moment. "How so?"

"Knowing that only some forms of artificial life are capable of sentience while others remain heartless machines is pretty damn fucked up to think about."

Twitching his jaw a little Connor pulled his quarter from the right pocket of his gray vest pocket, the additional suit piece now a staple in Connor's uniform, and began dancing it over the back of his right knuckles anxiously. "...Maybe deviancy is just a glitch after all."

"No way, son. You are alive and you do have a soul, I can tell."

"How? You're not a bio-engineer nor a technician."

"No, I'm not. But I myself am alive and as a detective I've encountered way too many heartless, soulless bastards in my time to count. There's nothing about you that reminds me of any of them, which is a good thing. You are alive, Connor. You're not glitching out and there's nothing wrong with you."

"...I'd like to believe that."

"Well, do it. Because it's the damn truth."

The sight of the massive wall cutting through the City was a sight to behold even from the distance. While the City itself looked like a thriving metropolis with towering skyscrapers that shined in the light of the setting sun, hundreds of electronic billboards glowing throughout the neighborhoods, police and security drones circling overhead, and other prominent security measures tracking every movement inside the massive city to give the illusion of safety, there was clearly something unsavory and illegal happening where the wall divided the populous in half.

"Holy shit... That thing is fuckin' huge!"

"Yes. The wall is designed to separate the City from the 'Old Town'. What's peculiar is the erection of the wall doesn't have any official date, but it's believed that the wall began construction as late as 2018 and as recently as 2036, and is under constant surveillance by the 'Watch Commander'."

"How in the hell do people not notice that a giant fuckin' wall was being built right in their own backyard?"

"How do humans not notice rampant discrimination and intolerance happening right before their eyes?"

"...Touche." Reaching the final checkpoint Hank sighed and pulled his wallet from his pocket. "Got your I.D. ready to go?"

"Yes, but there is no need." Retrieving his own shield from his gray blazer's right pocket Connor flipped it open the leather bound badge and looked at the name he had chosen to identify himself; Detective Connor Wolf, and felt his jaw tic with a sense of false security. "My L.E.D. can be scanned and my identity will be confirmed through a cybernetic connection."

"Sounds like an invasion of privacy to just have the side of your head scanned like that."

"It's not. This is a common form of communication for all androids."

"Whatever you say, kid." Rolling down his window Hank held up his shield and watched as the armed synthetic android, an 'MX' model designed specifically for combat and security detail, approached the car slowly. "I'm Lieutenant Hank Anderson." Nodding at Connor to his right Hank confirmed the deviant's identity as well just as Connor showed his own shield. "And this Connor. We're expected."

Scanning over the two badges, the side of the synthetic cop's face flashing yellow in a small circuitry pattern, the patrolling synthetic confirmed the identity and expected arrival of the two detectives from Detroit. "Identities confirmed." The cold and emotionless voice matched the generic and bland face of the android peered through Hank's opened window. "Please proceed."

"Yeah, thanks..." Pocketing his badge with his right hand Hank pulled forward through the checkpoint and continued on toward the City down the final stretch of the expressway. The size of the City easily tripled that of Detroit, but neither Hank or Connor were intimidated by the sight. "Ready to work in a whole new city with a whole new precinct?"

"Yes." Continuing the dance with his coin as his replaced his own badge Connor cybernetically uploaded a new address into the G.P.S. mounted on the dashboard of the Oldsmobile. Their newest destination was near the heart of the city, and with it came their assignment. "We've been requested by Captain Maldonado to report directly to the Delta Precinct to review our case before retiring to a hotel for the evening."

"Maldonado... The name sounds familiar to me."

Running a scan on the Captain's name and her reputation Connor's brow arched with respect and intrigue. "Captain Sandra Maldonado; awarded the Police Medal for Heroism, awarded the Police Life-Saving Medal, also awarded the Purple Shield and has a Commendation for Integrity and Meritorious Police Duty." Reciting the impressive details Connor noted that Hank's own achievements as the Valedictorian of his class at the police academy and being recognized as the youngest police Lieutenant in Detroit's history could've potentially rivaled Captain Maldonado's if he hadn't been forced endured such personal tragedy during the peak of his career. "It seems she was also recognized with a Certificate of Honors in her twenty year career as police detective."

"Well... With a reputation like that it's no wonder her name rings a bell."

"Perhaps you met her before?"

"Nah, I doubt anyone would willingly move to the City and deal with this bullshit. You gotta' be born in a place like this to have the stomach to handle all the carnage that happens here on a daily basis."

"You're aware of the crime rate?"

"Kid, a place this infamous doesn't go unnoticed by the average detective." Entering the City and flowing right into traffic Hank sighed and nodded to a street corner through Connor's window where a cop and his synthetic partner had busted a drug transaction in the act. "Keep your guard up at all times. This isn't going to be your average investigation."

The sight of the arrest in action made Connor's L.E.D. flash to red as he instinctively made a cybernetic report on the sight before him for potential reference later on. "...Noted."

* * *

After reaching a dead end with the case at hand and unable to locate any other potential lead to follow Detective John Kennex and his D.R.N. partner Dorian were summoned into Captain Sandra Maldonado's office for an unexpected change to their current case assignment. While the two detectives weren't going to be pulled from the investigation they had been combing through for weeks already they were going to be temporarily partnered up with two detectives from Detroit who were experts in handling cases revolving around artificial life. The change in assignment was seen as a logical step forward in Dorian's eyes, but for John it was a lowkey insult to his ability to handle the case.

Scoffing at the change John dragged his right hand through his dark locks of hair and gave his commanding officer a stern but respectful stare as he sat in the chair across from her. Not needing to say a single word Captain Maldonado knew exactly what was on her most stubborn detective's mind, and sympathized with his frustration.

"How in the hell will bringing two detectives who've never handled a single case in this precinct help the detectives who actually know what the hell they're doing?" Annoyed but not crossing the line John gave his commanding officer his rather blunt opinion on the matter. "We've been the ones handling everything that the InSyndicate has been trying to dick around with for months." Motioning with his right thumb toward himself and then Dorian as the D.R.N. stood just behind him John spoke honestly and with great passion for his job. "How're two jackasses from Detroit going to handle anything with those freaks when the InSyndicate is our city's problem? Hell, if the InSyndicate _actually is_ the problem this time..."

"Because these two detectives are the experts in dealing with any crimes revolving around artificial life, and have an exemplary success record." Replying as calmly and professionally as ever Captain Maldonado made it known that her decision was going to stand no matter how much John disdained it. "We know that the targets are all synthetics and every synthetic has been destroyed by some unknown software virus before they had their bodies torn open and scrapped for parts. Neither you or Dorian have figured out who is creating the virus, how the virus works or why these attacks have escalated from the occasional hate crime and into the sweeping trend across the city."

Still unimpressed John challenged the claim without crossing the line in the process. "What makes these detectives so damn special?"

Turning on her terminal screen Captain Maldonado brought up a holographic projection on the two detectives of interest. "Lieutenant Hank Anderson." She stated in a firm and level tone. "Valedictorian of his class back at the academy, worked his ass off on the streets as a cop and worked even harder to become a detective. From 2027 to 2028 he led a specialized task force in taking down the drug known as 'red ice' and succeeded in removing a historical amount of the drug from the city. On August 22nd, 2029 he was promoted to Lieutenant at age forty-four, making him the youngest police Lieutenant in Detroit's history, and remained in narcotics until 2031; taking down many high profile drug dealers until he moved to the homicide division. He's overcome personal tragedy after he lost his only son in a traffic accident and his promising career is already back on track leading him to future success."

Trying to remain bitter John looked at the impressive record and did his best to dismiss it. "So what does that have to do with synthetics being destroyed?"

"Because..." Bringing up new details on the projection Captain Maldonado continued to explain her flawless logic to John in her usual unflappable manner. "Aside from his impressive record of arrests and invaluable experience Lieutenant Anderson had an android," showing Connor's personnel file in a second holographic image next to Hank's file she went into further detail. "Connor; the only RK-800 model in existence, as his partner. Connor was sent by the now defunct company CyberLife to assist in locating other androids who had gone rogue through what is referred to as 'deviancy', and arrest the dangerous and malfunctioning deviant androids in back in early November."

"Whoa... Wait..." An amused yet sarcastic smirk appeared on John's face as he gave Captain Maldonado an incredulous stare. "these two detectives are the same ones who actually _let_ that android-revolution thing happen? AND... They're _still_ detectives after all that shit?"

"Their actions were deemed legally and morally correct, and Lieutenant Anderson vouched for Connor's return to the precinct after he too had gone deviant."

"So an old cop with personal issues and a faulty android are going to help us with this case? Doesn't make any sense to me."

Dorian, who had been quiet and analyzing the personnel files on the two detectives, finally spoke up. "In a way these two detectives seem to have a lot of common ground with us, John. They could be very helpful to us in finally solving this case. In fact, they might be able to help you finally learn how to play well with others."

"Shut up." Giving the D.R.N. an annoyed glance over his right shoulder John growled at his partner under his breath. "That's not what I meant."

"No, but it does seem somewhat relevant."

Turning back to his commanding officer John continued to challenge the claim. "How does that make any-"

Stopping the argument before it happened Captain Maldonado dismissed the duo from her office. "They'll be here for one week and then head back to Detroit. If you solve the case quick enough they'll be gone sooner. Until the Delta Precinct can get the funding to hire on additional detectives permanently you're going to have to play nice and suck it up for a while."

Aggravated but knowing that he couldn't argue with his commanding office John rose from his chair and huffed as he left the office to sit down at his desk while Dorian trailed after him loyally. The moment he sat back down John felt the eyes of Detective Valerie Stahl watching his every move. The Intelligence Analyst had admired John's dedication and determination for quite a while, and her keen senses always told her when the skilled detective was getting frustrated with the lack of progress on any of his ongoing investigations.

"Stop staring, Val." Stretching out his synthetic right leg John let out a deep breath and gave the compassionate detective a weary glance. "I'm not the one who needs to be watched right now."

"Sorry." Joining John at his desk while Dorian stood nearby she gave the mentally exhausted detective a sympathetic glance. "I take it you found out about the two detectives coming in from Detroit."

"I think it's more interesting that you _already know_ about it. What gives?"

"Richard mentioned it before he took off for his little sabbatical outside the city."

"Shitty move for a detective with top clearance. But if his ass is going to be gone for a while then maybe this won't be so bad after all. One less 'Dick' to deal with." From the entryway of the precinct John and Dorian both noticed the arrival of the two detectives of great interest, and John subtly nodded in their direction. "...And here they come. Supposedly 'Detroit's finest'."

"Wait, I think I know them." Whispering a little Valerie got a better look at their faces without them noticing her staring. "I saw a news story about the Revolution, and that guy," she discreetly motioned to Connor as he walked alongside Hank and were directed toward Captain Maldonado's office by a helpful 'MX' on stand-by. "was the android who helped the Revolution succeed. Apparently he snuck into a secured tower owned by... I think it was called 'CyberLife', and walked back out with over a thousand more androids who were being kept in storage like an army."

The right side of Dorian's face fluctuated with blue L.E.D. light as he accessed information on that historic night and confirmed Valerie's recollection. "That's right. The leader of the deviants is named 'Markus' and he led a peaceful demonstration that ended successfully even before Connor increased their numbers that night with the additional androids."

"That's actually pretty cool." Valerie watched as Hank and Connor introduced themselves to Captain Maldonado and received their assignment, and were told of how they'd be working alongside John and Dorian. "You might be able to get some invaluable information on synthetics and other forms of artificial life from those two."

John gave Valerie a playful smirk as she loitered beside his desk and flashed him her perfect smile. "You make it sound like they know the secret to bringing down the InSyndicate and its copycats once and for all."

"Who knows?" Keeping upbeat Valerie did her best to keep her friend from stressing himself out too much during his investigation. "They managed to bring about rights for an entire group of newly created intelligent life, _and_ they ran a shady corporation out of their city. That sounds like a fantastic way to get _our_ city to finally heal and get the corrupt bullshit and crime rate under control."

"I seriously doubt two detectives from Detroit are going be the City's saving grace, Val."

"Probably not, but maybe they'll be more inclined to listen to your theory about a second criminal organization trying to compete with the InSyndicate."

Despite Valerie's attempt to be optimistic John still had his own doubts. "Uh-huh. You're the only one who backs up this theory besides Dorian and myself. Everyone else just sees the file and immediately jumps onto the 'InSyndicate bandwagon', and shuts down the idea of a new criminal enterprise trying to take down the original enterprise. After all, we all learned in the police academy that the whole bit about collecting evidence, forming theories and locating suspects is all for show, right?"

"Don't count them out just yet." Nodding confidently Valerie motioned to the duo with her right index finger as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I have a good feeling about those two."

As Hank and Connor exited the office Valerie returned to her own desk to handle her reports while Dorian politely greeted the two temporary detectives with a kind smile and respectable handshake. "Hello. My name is Dorian."

"Yeah, Lieutenant Anderson." Hank stated in an indifferent tone as he motioned to Connor standing just behind his left shoulder before he shook Dorian's hand to acknowledge the D.R.N.'s polite gesture. "This is Connor."

Dorian looked over at Connor, the lights in his face cycling in blue as Connor's L.E.D. cycled from blue to yellow for a moment. "Connor. It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you." The deviant replied in kind as his system automatically attempted to create a cybernetic connection with Dorian, but failed to connect. "It seems we will be working with you and your partner John Kennex. May I ask where he is?"

"Right in front of you." Begrudgingly getting up from his chair John looked at Connor for only a moment before he shook Hank's hand. "I'm Kennex. Call me 'John'."

"Right. Call me 'Hank'."

"Do you know what the hell's going on with this case?"

"I only know what you know and what your Captain knows." Pointing to Connor his with left thumb over his left shoulder Hank motioned to his partner in a casual manner. "He just downloaded all the details, so yeah, he'll keep me in the loop while we work."

Looking back to Connor with a dubious eye John waited to see how the deviant android would respond to the discussion. "Well? Got anything to add to the conversation?"

"Yes." Reaching over to John's terminal screen much to the detective's annoyance Connor pressed his right palm down over the screen and retracted the artificial skin from his hand as he cybernetically connected to the device. With his L.E.D. cycling between yellow and red for a moment before returning to blue Connor managed to created a holographic map of the city, and highlighted every known location of the destroyed synthetics. "Fifty-two 'MX' models of synthetics have been found destroyed throughout the city over the past four weeks and two days. All of the destroyed models had been infected with a strange and unknown virus prior to their processors shutting down, and their bodies stripped of any and all hardware and limbs that were viable."

The map was dotted with red marks to indicate the locations of the known victims, and each dot had been dated according to the victim's original shutdown and dated according to when they had been discovered and reported. The mass of red dots over the the city reminded John of a plague and couldn't help but think the violence and amount of destruction was symbolic to just that; a plague of death.

"Upon first glance the evidence collected seems to point to the InSyndicate as this criminal organization is well known in stealing high grade bio-tech, and nanorg-tech."

Those two terms caught Hank off guard and he gave his deviant partner a confused look as he crossed his arms over his chest. "They steal _what_?"

"Bio-tech is the synthetic's equivalent to biocomponents in androids who were manufactured under CyberLife." Connor replied casually as he explained things to his partner. "The nanorg-tech are synthetically created organs and tissues designed to aid organic lifeform who are ill or have been injured."

"...Oh."

"However, due to the fact that InSyndicate is also tied directly to human organ trafficking and even D.N.A. theft, as well as illegal distribution of weapons and synthetic trafficking I suspect that the true criminal, or criminals, aren't connect to the InSydincate whatsoever."

John gave Connor a blank stare for a moment before commenting on the deviant's observations. "...You came to this conclusion by skimming over the details in the case just on minute _one_ of the investigation?"

"Actually it was two point six seconds, but yes, this is my current conclusion based on the evidence that has been collected."

"Okay... So even if the crimes aren't 'classic InSyndicate' motivations, what makes you think that the InSyndicate isn't involved at all?"

"From the provided information on the InSyndicate we can identify them by their disconcerting white masks or distinctive tattoos located on the backs of their necks. No such person matches that description when the synthetics were found, and to believe that a single organization would be able to destroy fifty-two synthetics without being recognized in a city with such a dense population is astronomically improbable."

Hank's brow arched and he let out a soft sigh. "This city may not be our turf, John." Looking at the perplexed detective with a sympathetic glance Hank let the younger detective know that Connor was rarely wrong with his assessments. "But Connor's very good at picking up patterns and seeing through red herrings."

Dorian gave John a tilt of his head as he too spoke up. "We have been speculating that the assaults were being disguised as InSydincate activity, but no one else was willing to look anywhere else. Your confirmation is very promising."

"Sounds like we found the cause of your cold trail." Sensing that John's frustration was due to the lack of cooperation from the other detectives in the Delta Precinct Hank prodded him into going into detail on the theory at hand. "What did you guys theorize before you were shot down and told to move on?"

Giving Hank a subtly appreciative grin John removed the map from his terminal screen and brought up the file he and Dorian had been working on before being told to focus only on the InSyndicate by the pushy higher-ups seeking speedy case conclusions rather than accurate ones. "The fact that no one spotted any member of the InSyndicate in the area, before or after the synthetics were destroyed, was an immediate red flag to both of us. Like what your partner said, the fact that these guys are very recognizable and very dangerous means that being distinctive and bold enough to walk around with weapons in broad daylight yet still avoiding any and all prying eyes in a city as fucked us at this over fifty times? Come on... You don't need to be the best detective on the planet to know that doesn't make any damn sense."

Dorian pressed his right index finger to the side of the terminal screen and brought up the map Connor had created, his face lighting up with the blue circuitry pattern again, and marked the map with green dots to indicate the known location of the InSyndicate hideouts. "Not only does the lack of eyewitnesses not line up with any activity from the InSyndicate, but the hideouts don't fall into a consistent enough pattern to connect the members to any of the assaults."

Connor's L.E.D. cycled in blue rapidly as he cybernetically reviewed the case again and chronicled the evidence that John and Dorian had long since collected during their investigation. Their current working theory of a second organization using the infamy of the InSyndicate to cover their crimes was sound, and was worth investigating. "The lack of shell casings or weapon marks would also indicate that a group that is not tied to illegal weaponry or aggression is using an alternative method of assaulting and then scrapping these synthetics of their hardware. Has there been any threats from a cybernetic organization, or acts of cyber terrorism in the city as of late?"

"None." Dorian confirmed with a low voice. "I've been constantly monitoring the online activity in the city since my initial activation to ensure no sign of cyber terrorism has the chance to grow and become a credible threat. Our precinct technician monitors cybernetic activity as well, and he hasn't noticed anything of interest in the synthetic markets, black markets or official businesses."

Openly sighing John began listing off the other suspected organizations that were eliminated through evidence and logic. "It's not the Albanian Consortium or the Origillian Sapients since they focus on making illegal 'intimate robot companions'."

Glancing at Connor to his side Hank gave him an odd look. "...Is that what I think they are?"

"Like the 'Tracis' from the 'Eden Club'? Yes."

"Still gross no matter which city you're in."

John continued on with his list of eliminations. "Same can be said for Shaw I.R.C., whereas the Droidax Industries specializes in memorybank restoration and recycling downed synthetics, not destroying them." Holding out his right hand as he counted off on his fingers John confirmed their previous investigation with Dorian. "We also know it isn't Omni since they're interesting in programmable D.N.A., not software and replacement synthetic limbs. The only group left to investigate is the InSyndicate, but the evidence pointing to them is vague and speculative at best."

Studying the details curiously Connor downloaded further information on the case at hand and past incidents with the InSyndicate throughout the City. "...The security footage within the one block proximity for any crimes committed by the InSyndicate had always been corrupted or bypassed by using refractory panels to obscure their identities. No such precautions were taken in these fifty-two assaults."

Almost relieved to know that the two new detectives were already on his and Dorian's side with their second theory John was suddenly more interested in working with the duo rather than 'putting up with them' for the sake of respecting his Captain. "Well, now that we're in agreement for who we should actually be looking for instead of what everyone expects us to be looking at for the sake of convenience, we should start fresh tomorrow morning and finally get this shit cleaned up."

Hank nodded in agreement and put his his left hand on Connor's right shoulder. "How long would it take for you to download a map of the assaults and potentially find a pattern with all of the victims?"

"The pattern with the victims has already been confirmed." Motioning to Dorian as Connor knew the D.R.N. knew more about the details than he did at the moment Connor waited for him to answer the question.

"All of the victims were 'MX' models of synthetics, which are combat based androids that are primarily used as security guards and work as the partners for human detectives in precincts throughout the entire city. The destroyed synthetics have all been ones of authority or security."

Hank's brow arched a little as a single idea popped into his mind. "Sounds like we have someone who hates cops, but knows better than to fuck with a cop who has a gun a lot of back-up."

"So..." John folded his arms over his chest and gave Hank a knowing look. "we're looking for a _coward_. Not surprised."

The confident snark immediately earned Hank's respect as he realized that Detective John Kennex wasn't some run of the mill rookie who could only handle cases by following the book and holding his partner's hand. The only reason he needed help at all is because the other detectives were trying to pass off the case as something simple when it clearly was not, and now he and Connor were there to listen to John and Dorian as they explained their theory with logic, reason and most important of all, _evidence_.

Returning to John's desk as she walked away from her own Valerie gave the brash detective an approving grin as she passed him by. "Sounds like you're finally making some progress, John. Keep me in the loop." Checking her Kevlar vest for proper security over her chest Valerie made her way toward the front entrance with her MX synthetic partner following after her. "I've got my own mess to clean up tonight."

The sight of Valerie walking away pulled Hank and Connor's attention toward the detective, Connor's L.E.D. cycling in a puzzled yellow for all to see.

Noticing the confusion on the new detectives' faces John just shrugged his shoulders and gave them an unfazed glance. "What? You don't have detectives that are genetically perfect in Detroit?"

"Uh... I think 'genetically perfect' is a pretty broad way to describe things." Shaking his head a little Hank gave John a truly stunned glance. "She just looks exactly like someone we know."

"Not possible. Valerie is one of a kind."

Stepping forward Connor held up his right palm and showed John and Dorian an image of North. "Maybe personality wise, but not aesthetically."

The sight of North looking exactly like Valerie just as Hank stated made both John and Dorian look as stunned as Hank and Connor had been.

"That's... What the hell?" The likeness was uncanny and not a coincidence. "Valerie is a chrome and an only child. No one else should look like her."

Another term that Hank wasn't familiar with put his left hand over his brow and sighed as Connor lowered his hand behind him. "She's a _what_?"

"A chrome."

Dorian went into more detail on the term after John answered. "A chrome is a genetically perfected human who was modified while in the womb. Valerie is the embodiment of human perfection on a genetic and chromosomal level."

The answer was a little to disturbing in Hank's world. "That's fucked up."

John tilted his head a little but he didn't outwardly disagree with the statement. "So, which hotel are you two staying at?"

"The one on LaFayette."

"You're staying at the Turing Hotel? Shit, sounds like the Captain really wants you guys to stick around."

"Uh-huh. If you _really_ want us to help then point me in the direction of the best chow in town. I'm starving."

Connor's mouth ticked a little as he tried to remind Hank to not indulge in greasy or salty food. "Hank, it's unwise to-"

"Kid," cutting the deviant off before he had the chance to list off all the reasons Hank needed to watch his diet Hank essentially confirmed that he wasn't going to change his mind. "this is easily going to the only time I'm going to set foot in this city so I'm going to check out the food while I can."

Recognizing Hank's firm tone Connor willingly backed down on the discussion. "...Very well."

Dorian's brow furrowed slightly as he observed the interaction between the two detectives, but remained silent.

John pondered Hank's question for only a minute before he gave the senior detective a confident answer. "I know place where you can some spicy noodles on the cheap. We don't exactly have a staple food in this town, we just consider anything that doesn't have bugs crawling through it to be five-star cuisine."

"Funny. That almost sounds like 'home cooking' to me." Wanting to protest but remaining quiet Connor just followed after Hank as John led the way back to the front entrance of the precinct. Dorian walked alongside Connor as their human counterparts exited the precinct and walked over to where Hank had parked his car. "Connor?" Speaking up again Hank focused on his deviant friend walking just behind him. "Catch!"

Holding out his right hand Connor easily caught the car keys that Hank fished out of his pocket, and gave him a curious stare as he held the keys in his grip.

"Go back to the hotel and stay there."

Being excluded wasn't something Connor was expecting, and it made his blue L.E.D. cycle to yellow for a moment. "...May I ask why?"

"Because you're headstrong and have a knack for leaping before you look, and getting your ass in trouble. I don't know the layout of this place so I won't be able to find ya' and help ya' if something happens."

"I can take care of myself, Hank."

"I know." Catching the mild offense in Connor's voice Hank explained his decision honestly and respectfully. "But with this city being overwhelmed with a serial killer targeting artificial life, and with your little light show going on in the right side of your head at all times," needlessly pointing out the blue L.E.D. glowing in Connor's right temple Hank emphasized his point perfectly. "that might as well be a bullseye."

John agree and nodded at Dorian as the D.R.N. stayed beside Connor on the sidewalk. "Dorian, go back to the hotel with him. I'll drop off the Lieutenant and pick you back up so neither you or Connor are alone right now."

Just like Connor had been wanting to do Dorian was ready to protest, but he held his tongue for the sake of keeping the peace between the four detectives until their case was closed. "Alright, but do know that I will be critiquing your poor health choices if you choose to engorge yourself on food laced with sodium and cholesterol, _again_."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you."

* * *

Knowing that the two android detectives were going to be safe and out of sight in the private room back at the hotel Hank relaxed a little, and let John drive him around the City as he looked at the contrastingly high tech and gorgeous structures neighboring the 'Old Town' just on the other side of the cold and enigmatic wall. Being in an unfamiliar city was a rare moment for Hank to endure, but his invaluable experience as a detective kept him fearless in the face of change. Sitting quietly in the front passenger seat Hank just admired the drive and trusted John to take him to where he wanted to go without any issues along the way.

As John drove him to a seemingly shadier side of the city as a cold rain began to pour from the thick clouds above Hank just sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as the dreary sight reminded him of the less than stellar neighborhoods back in Detroit. So many of those neighborhoods had been poisoned by 'red ice' and those who survived the drug outbreak were still licking their wounds and struggling to move on despite their painful scars.

"It wasn't always this bad." John seemingly read Hank's mind and commented on the situation. The heavy cold rain drenched the car and the street as the evening quickly turned to night. "This place was once a shining example of how progress and technology would bring a sense of peace and safety to people living here. Then as expected corruption and greed took advantage of the enhanced technology and surveillance to sneak around and use fear as a weapon against the people who didn't have the power to fight back. Technology spiraled out of control and the crime spiraled right along with it."

"Sounds like Detroit when the industrial business started boomin' decades ago." Staring through his side window as John pulled the car into a small rain soaked parking spot in a strange neighborhood that had a noxious smell of numerous different small restaurants cooking dozens of conflicting recipes wafting through the thick night air. "When CyberLife moved in everything shifted from struggling with decent wages and insurance to cover their workers, to people getting booted to the curb in favor of android labor that didn't need a break, insurance or even a damn paycheck. That went as well as you would've expected."

"That's why domestic synthetics aren't on the market. By the way, 'synthetic' is a term Dorian hates, so try not to hurt his feelings." Opening his door John waited for Hank to join him outside the vehicle before he walked over to his usual dining spot through the rain, and placed down two orders; one for himself and the second for Hank. "It was bad enough when the damn things were put on the police force to calculate the odds of success and failure for cases being handled, and actually _letting_ cops die in favor of catching a damn pick-pocket or jaywalker, but being forced to partner up with one out of a fucked up new policy made things much worse."

"I didn't have a say when I was partnered up with Connor, either." Taking his order after John generously paid for everything Hank accompanied the young detective to a nearby table under an umbrella that was isolated from the other customers eating their own meals. "I wanted nothing to do with him and even ordered him to keep his ass in the car when I went to investigate the scene of a homicide after he pulled my ass out of a bar. Damn stubborn kid followed me anyway and actually ended up not only solving the case, but found the killer still hiding in the house."

"Well, at least you let him stay in the car." Opening his container of steaming hot spicy noodles John gave Hank a somewhat bemused stare as they got to know one another a little better. The steam mixed in with the cold air and created a fog all over the table. "The first MX that I was assigned with managed to 'fall out' of my car while I was driving down the street."

The comment made Hank's brow arch a little as he tried to get a feel for John's personality and humor. "...You're shitting me."

"Nope. Fortunately Dorian is a much better passenger and hasn't suffered any accidents." Taking a bite of his less than healthy dinner John tagged on another interesting though to consider. "But if he makes anymore stupid noises, breaks into song or sticks his damn finger in my coffee again I won't be able to guarantee that a freak accident won't be in his future regarding one pissed off cop and a garbage disposal. It's bad enough he injects shit into his neck to run his C.S.I. program, and can scan what's on my breath and then lecture me about it."

Opening up his own container Hank gave John a coy smirk. "Could be worse."

"And how's that?"

"Does Dorian put blood and other nasty shit in his _mouth_ to run an analysis?"

John stopped mid chew and gave Hank a skeptical glance. "Now I know you're shitting _me_."

"Nope. Damn CyberLife tech decided that Connor's analysis program thing works by pressing samples to his tongue. Makes me sick every time I see it."

"Does he follow you around and make 'helpful recommendations' about your every day life and habit whether you asked or not?"

"Yup. That's the big drawback of letting him live with me as a roommate. Kid monitors my fridge, but at least he lets the dog out so I don't have to get up."

"Shit, I couldn't imagine letting Dorian live with me. He stays at the precinct to recharge in the technician's lab, and do a bunch of other bullshit that I don't get paid enough to understand. I _need_ my space and I _need_ my privacy. I'd end up killing Dorian after barely two hours."

"Connor just got in the habit of going into 'rest mode' at night to recharge. Him getting on a 'sleep schedule' for the sake of some form of normalcy for my sake is appreciated, but not really necessary." Taking a bite of his meal Hank glanced about a noticed the curious lack of anything regarding androids and their new rights. "I guess that's also a benefit for him since the Revolution ordered the removal of 'public charging ports' for androids since they were granted the right to own property and be free."

"I can't imagine having a synthetic owning a house and living next door. I mean, I'm not against it..." Taking another bite John finished his statement in a rather chill tone. "I just don't see synthetics being granted any rights in my lifetime."

"I thought the same thing. Hell, I didn't even see androids as anything but overprices computers that could talk back. Then I met Connor and watched the obedient machine slowly become his own defiant person, and I swear I saw life actually growing behind his eyes." Fussing with his meal for a moment Hank thought about his original interactions with Connor when they were initially assigned as partners. It was a cold few days but now it seemed like any other strong friendship. "It's fucking weird knowing that an android can genuinely smile or laugh, not that I've seen him do it, but I have seen him cry and fear for his life when he's been hurt or overwhelmed with emotions."

"Having emotions is the only thing that really separated Dorian from the other MX synthetics." The gentle thrumming of the raindrops against the umbrella overhead helped create a dour ambience to accompany the discussion at hand. "That's part of the reason the D.R.N. models like him were scrapped."

"They were discontinued because they could actually feel shit and not just simulate it?"

"More or less they were discontinued because they felt emotions a little _too strongly_ , and I guess them being too human wasn't going to work with the other humans." Speaking matter-of-factly John watched the faceless people walking through the rain without any acknowledgement of their fellow man. "You know that empathy can't be allowed in a species that thrives on apathy."

"You're not wrong about that bullshit." Noticing the way the people walking around the area looked somber and defeated Hank knew exactly what John was talking about. "I was the same way until Connor's persistence in getting me to actually give a damn about my career again reminded me why I became a cop in the first place. I'll never be the person I was before I lost..." Speaking of his late son, Cole, was always a sore subject. "Well, I went through Hell and back, but now that Connor's around to remind me that I'm not completely useless and the world keeps on turning I'm finally feeling a little better."

"I guess I could say the same about Dorian. At first I just thought that he was tagging along and keeping my ass alive because he was following orders, it turns out he knew I have my own shit to work through and he sincerely just wants to help me." Fussing a little more with his noodles John shook his head and chuckled a little at all of his past moments with Dorian. "He saved my life in the literal sense, and he's keeping me from giving up on myself from past frustrations I can't just let go. Turns out he's a pretty good friend."

"Someone betrayed you." Hank deduced perfectly as he looked away from his meal and to the young detective at his side. "You don't just get over betrayal, John. You learn how to keep living, but until that betrayal has been remedied you'll never truly feel alive again."

Absentmindedly John rubbed his right hand alongside his prosthetic right leg, his palm feeling the exact point of contact between his remaining leg and the false limb that replaced what he had lost through his jeans. "Well, _that's_ encouraging."

"Just speaking from experience, son."

From the tone of Hank's voice John knew that the comment was the truth and came from the heart. Already knowing about Hank losing his son John just wanted to see if Han would be willing to talk about it, and pushed the subject gently. "Who betrayed you?"

"...The world." The answer wasn't entirely inaccurate but it wasn't as informative as John had hoped. "I did everything in my power to try to make this world a little less shitty, and I get thanked by having _my_ whole world taken away from me on a cold winter night."

"Trust me. I know a thing or two about having a shitty day, Hank. I also know how one bad day can fuck up the rest of your life." Letting out a weary sigh John used his plastic fork to fuss with the remaining noodles in his container as he tried to change the subject for a moment. "So... That person back in Detroit who looks just like Valerie, how do you know her?"

" _That_..." Sitting up a little straighter in his seat Hank gave John an awkward glance as the rain continued to pour from the sky. "is a very 'interesting' story."

* * *

Unable to stop himself from compiling the necessary details to handle the case of interest Connor stood before the room's large window of the eighth floor of the twelve floor hotel, and closed his eyes as he listened to the rain pounding against the glass just inches from his face. The sound of the rain was one that Connor found interesting and soothing. It wasn't unlike music in that it had a rhythm and a sound of its own, but it didn't carry a tune or request an audience before performing. It was simply there and creating a sound where there would otherwise be silence.

Sitting on the foot of the queen sized bed furthest from the window Dorian was also working on the case, the blue circuitry light in the side of his face contrasted against the yellow L.E.D. in Connor's right temple, but Dorian had kept his blue eyes open as he studied the new android from afar. Being in the company of another android who was seen as a detective and not an accessory was comforting, and yet the different circumstances behind their roles in their respective precincts was disconcerting.

Dorian was assigned to work alongside John and help keep him in line and to help him work through his personal issues. Connor was assigned to work alongside Hank to keep a corrupt company looking good in the eyes of the public. Neither had asked for their assignments, but neither wanted to abandon their partners they've come to view as friends. Despite essentially being forced into the career of law enforcement the two androids were determined to be the best detectives they could possibly be.

"...There are four-thousand, five-hundred and forty-eight MX models left functioning in the city." Opening his eyes slowly Connor looked at his reflection on the glass of the window for a moment, and then peered through the window to watch the rain drops rolling down the glass. "Only Detective Kennex and yourself are investigating the fifty-two assaults, violations of their bodies and theft of their person of the fifty-two who have been destroyed. The odds of success were never in your favor."

"The odds rarely ever are, but that hasn't stopped us from closing cases before."

The cheesy smirk on Dorian's face made Connor's brow furrow very slightly. "You have been working as Detective Kennex's partner for approximately over one year." As his yellow L.E.D. flickered in his temple the amber glow briefly turned red as information on the detective held Connor's attention. "I... understand that Detective Kennex was involved in a failed police operation that resulted in the death of his previous partner, Detective Martin Pelham, resulted in a prolonged seventeen month long coma, and the loss of his right leg just above his knee."

"Yeah, that's right."

"...Before the accident Detective Kennex was a highly praised and decorated detective with commendations and rewards: The Medal of Valor, Purple Shield, Police Live-Saving Medal, Excellent Police Duty and is an Expert Marksman." Downloading more details regarding Dorian the deviant continued his assessment. "You, D.R.N. - 1607, were temporarily decommissioned for four years and three months before you were reactivate to be partnered with Detective Kennex. May I ask why?"

"When John returned to the precinct after his lengthy recovery many policies regarding precinct regulations had changed. One such regulation was that every human detective was to be partnered with a precinct sanctioned MX model as opposed to another. John didn't agree and he shoved his original MX partner out of his car while driving down the highway."

Remember how Hank had thrown him up against a wall, shouted in his face and threatened to throw him into a flaming dumpster Connor decided that he much preferred Hank's hollow threats over John's very real actions.

"To be fair that particular MX was going to report to Captain Maldonado regarding John's behavior from the night before while he was off the clock and free to do as he saw fit." Dorian clarified in a calm tone. "It seems that MX's are also more reliable in reporting the smallest of infractions regarding detectives."

Staying quiet Connor just stared at Dorian blankly.

"I don't condone what he did, but I can understand it. Please don't misjudge him. John's been through a lot and has been struggling to recover on more than just a physical level."

"I'm not judging him at all. I'm merely comparing his behavior to that of Lieutenant Anderson. It seems they have a lot in common." Tilting his head as he spoke Connor had an interesting theory manifest in his mind. "Perhaps that is the mark a great detective; stubbornness and a fiery temper"

"Maybe. At any rate," continuing on casually Dorian explained how he and John became partners. "John's personal grievances with androids meant he was on thin ice regarding his career as a detective under the new policy. I was reactivated because as a D.R.N. who was deemed flawed due to my emotional responses we were seen as an ideal duo as we both had issues that needed to be worked through. It was therapeutic in a sense."

"'Flawed'?" The blue L.E.D. cycled in yellow for a moment as Connor tried to understand how a flawed android would be permitted to act as a police detective.

"My model, the D.R.N., was unique compared to the MX models because Dr. Nigel Vaughn developed a special software known as the 'synthetic soul' that allowed us to feel and reciprocate emotions. Being overtly emotional was deemed a flaw and thus the D.R.N. models were decommissioned, but not destroyed."

"Interesting."

Dorian could see the question burning on Connor's lips and encouraged him to ask. "Can I ask why you think that's interesting?"

"Because what you just described regarding the 'synthetic soul' and emotions just defined deviancy. Being empathetic, compassionate and self aware were regarded as glitches or bugs in android programming, and as such deviants were labeled as dangerous malfunctioning machines."

That revelation caught Dorian off guard. "I may be an artificial form of life, but I'm not deviant."

"I am." Giving Dorian a very faint grin Connor reassured him that there was nothing wrong with being different. "I was in denial at first but Hank helped me to see that there is nothing wrong with being deviant. There's nothing wrong with being alive and for recognizing my life as something of value. You deserve the same recognition. It appears just as I chose to remain a detective you too wish to fulfill that same role based on your own personal and real feelings. I can relate to that and assure that such feelings are normal and deserve validation."

The compliment made Dorian grin with appreciation. "...Thanks for saying that, Connor."

"You're welcome."

The door to the room opened with a soft 'beep' and a click as the handle was turned, and the card key was put into the slot. Moving casually Hank walked into the hotel room with John right behind him, and acknowledged the two androids waiting for their return with a nod and a verbal greeting. "Hey, kid."

"Hello, Hank."

"Alright, I had my dinner and I got a small tour of the city. Tomorrow morning me and you are going to the precinct to check out the body of the latest MX model victim. He's in the small repair lab being examined by their tech guy."

"Understandable."

"Until then, we're getting some sleep and they're getting some sleep, too." Watching as Dorian joined John near the doorway Hank shrugged off his rain soaked coat and draped it over the desk against the far wall of the hotel room to dry out. "With any luck we'll figure this shit out in a day or two, and be on our merry little way."

"Of course."

John stepped back out of the room and waited for Dorian to follow. "We'll meet up at the precinct at eight, that'll be enough time for me to wake up and you'll have enough time to get through morning traffic."

"Right. See ya' tomorrow." Hank closed the door as the two detectives left and he returned his attention to Connor. "So, were you bored while we were out getting food?"

"No. I had plenty of time to work on the case and I can confirm that we are not looking at anyone of the InSyndicate. Detective Kennex and Dorian were correct with their original assessment of the evidence."

"Cool. We're all on the same page." Kicking off his shoes Hank flopped backward over the bed nearest the door where Dorian had been sitting and let out a slow breath. He could still taste the spicy noodles on his tongue and now knew why John went so far out of his way to eat there. "What do you think of our two new allies?"

"I believe Detective Kennex is a determined and dedicated detective who will succeed in his career. He also has an impressive record for closing cases and handling controversy without losing his morals."

"That's what I figured after talking to him, too. What about Dorian?"

"He is..." Not wanting to compare Dorian to other androids Connor struggled to find an acceptable word. "Unique."

Turning to look at Connor with a tired glance Hank chuckled a little and sat upright again. "Uh-huh. I think what you mean to say is he reminds you of a deviant without actually _being_ a deviant."

"...I mentioned it briefly." Sitting down on the second bed Connor admitted that he brought the subject up to Dorian in passing conversation. "But he declines being such a person despite fitting the definition and showing all the appropriate mannerisms."

"So did you." A coy smirk accompanied his words as he gave Connor a rather optimistic take on the situation. "Nothing wrong with being a little devious every now and then."

"I'm aware."

"Beyond the personality of these two guy what do you know of them professionally?"

Feigning ignorance Connor sought clarification. "You mean did I download their personnel files from the precinct?"

"I already know you did, kid." Dragging his left hand over his bearded chin Hank pressed Connor for the answers. "Spill it!"

"Very well." Pulling his coin from his right vest pocket for the second time that day Connor began to anxiously juggle it over the back of his right knuckles as he answered the question. "But it's a long story..."

* * *

At eight o'clock the following morning John trudged over to his desk and clocked-in as he sipped at his coffee as if it were the caffeinated elixir of life. Ignoring the expected comments about having too much sugar and sweetener in his coffee as Dorian noted the contents of his coffee cup John reviewed the case at his terminal screen for a moment before heading down to Rudy's lab, and easily tuned out the needless lecture. There hadn't been any further assaults of the MX models which was good, but the cold trail was still going to be difficult to follow without any new progress.

Dorian scanned the concentrated caffeine inside the coffee mug and let out an annoyed sigh. "You know, if you'd monitor your caffeine intake you wouldn't have as many headaches, John."

"Uh-huh. And if I didn't have an annoying partner lecturing me every morning I'd bet they'd go away entirely."

"We can solve this by process of elimination. I imagine the getting rid of the coffee will be easier since Captain Maldonado assigned me to work with you, and not your mug."

"Since my mug doesn't have a mouth I'm going to put my faith in the mug and tune you out for now on."

"If you're going to tune me out then I'll just start singing in Korean again. You know, K-Pop was _very_ big in the 2010's, maybe we should bring it back."

"Disco first!"

Dr. Rudy Lom, the Delta Precinct's official technician, overheard the odd conversation as the two detectives walked into the lab through the doorway almost side by side. Unsure of the full context of the discussion all the technician could do was look up from his microscope and the cybernetic butterfly's wing under his gaze as he put aside his soldering iron. Glancing up at the two detectives Rudy from his desk and promptly walked over to the exam table where the latest MX victim had been left during Rudy's initial examination from the night before.

"I'm not going to try to pretend I understand why you two are discussing disco," the technician stated in a perplexed tone as he pulled back the plastic sheet to show the MX's face beneath. "but I'm certain that I don't want to know."

"Yeah, don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Rudy." Finishing off his coffee John put his mug aside and gave the butchered body of the damaged MX a disgusted grimace. "So, what did you find out?"

"What I found is quite interesting, but I understand that we're currently two detectives short as of the moment, yes? Where are your new colleagues?"

Dorian's face lit up with blue circuitry as he turned to look at the doorway over his right shoulder. "Arriving as we speak."

Having been shown to the lab by a patrolling MX model Hank and Connor made their way down into the lab and honed in on the exam table. Hank looked as though he was already fed up with the case and Connor just looked intrigued. The blue glowing L.E.D. in Connor's right temple gave away his identity as an android and quickly had Rudy's inquisitive eyes watching his every move.

"Sorry if we're a little late." Hank stated with a somewhat groggy tone. "I thought traffic in Detroit was bad..."

"Oh my..." Rudy was less interested in the detectives' punctuality and far more interested in Connor as a possible specimen. "You... You are quite a fascinating design! Almost exquisite!"

Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow as Rudy quickly invaded his personal space and got uncomfortably close to his face. "...Pardon?"

"You're a synthetic, yes?"

" _Android_ who has deviated." Correcting the term Connor ran a facial scan over Rudy and noted his profession and the length of his career. "I am not like anything you've seen before."

"A d-deviant?!" Rudy's eyes lit up almost as brightly as Connor's L.E.D. and hovered his right fingers over Connor's face as he clearly struggled against the urge to touch him. "Oh... This is a treat! May I ask about your model and design?"

"I am the only RK-800 model left in existence, and I was designed for enhanced hand to hand combat, stealth, fieldwork, hostage negotiation and I am fully equipped to run forensic analysis in real time." The discomfort toward Rudy for getting his personal space was clearly expressed in his eyes though Connor's tone remained level. "My name is Connor."

"Connor... You're the deviant who..." Recognizing the name and model number Rudy backed away and held up his right index finger as if pausing Connor in place for a moment before he rushed back to his work table to sift through his numerous instruments to pick out the one he wanted. "You were the android who was sent CyberLife, only to-"

"Rudy!" Stepping forward John stood between Connor and Rudy and caught the technician's attention. "He's not here to be your little research project or play twenty questions, alright? He's here to help me and Dorian solve this case, and I'm pretty damn sure his partner here," he nodded at Hank as the senior detective crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "doesn't want to have to file a missing person's report because a technician went nuts and abducted him."

"R-Right, right... Yes, of course. My apologies." Clearing his throat nervously Rudy regained his composure and returned his full focus to the MX model who had brought the four detectives down to his lab to begin with. "Gentlemen, please join me here."

Hank patted Connor's left shoulder in amusement as he and Connor stood on one side of the table alongside John and Dorian while Rudy stood on the opposite side of the long exam table to deliver his report. "You seem to be good at making friends, kid."

Flashing Hank a silent and annoyed look Connor's L.E.D. flashed to red for a moment before finally returning to blue.

"As we've become aware of over the past four weeks or so," Rudy began as he slipped his glasses equipped with a single magnifying lens from around his neck and over his eyes. The technician's slightly shaggy blonde hair hung loosely over his face and his tools were kept neatly organized in a leather pouch over his apron that protected his dress shirt, vest and tie beneath as he leaned over the table. "over fifty MX models have been destroyed in a rather gruesome and somewhat predictable manner."

The generic and blank face of the destroyed MX was somehow more haunting to look at than an organic human body. The feature less void of any complexion or imperfections that make human flesh look organic and the empty eyes were more disturbing than that of any human corpse.

"Their software was infected with a brand new virus of unknown origin and unknown intent." The technician's words were confident and level. "All we know for certain about the virus is that it's capable of rendering even the most advanced software inactive and ravages the memorybanks making them nothing more than corrupted static filled images."

Dorian scanned over Rudy's research remotely and noted that the virus had yet to be fully identified, analyzed or have its origin point located. "How were you able to salvage the virus if its job was to destroy the memorybank and shutdown the software?"

"Through luck and patience. The confirmation of the virus has given us a cause for the sporadic system shutdowns, but not a reason as to why it's as effective as it is."

Connor took notice of the report as well and retracted the artificial skin from his right palm to cybernetically connect with the terminal screen. The gesture was normal for Connor to do and something Hank had seen him do a dozen or so times already, but for Rudy it was a fantastic sight to watch any form of artificial life have full control over their skin without needing technical assistance or sustaining damage.

"...The virus seems to be targeting the frequency of the MX models." Deciphering the virus's code easily thanks to his superior software that was unlike the very software that the virus was targeting and destroying. "To create such a virus would require extensive knowledge on MX software engineering and of their current frequency used to keep their software updated and allow cybernetic communication."

Rudy smirked a little at Connor's accuracy and speed. "That's right! You'd think such details would help narrow down the suspect pool, but unfortunately all it seemed to do was add more confusion with a little splash."

John was intrigued by the statement and gave the technician a curious glance. "How many people would know how to handle such software or create a virus that is so damn specific yet still untraceable?"

"Not many. Aside from myself and other technicians working in the neighboring precincts, and that is not an admission of any guilt by the way..." Eyeing John somewhat warily Rudy finished his statement. "But that doesn't mean we can eliminate anyone outside of a precinct just yet."

"Right..."

"Rudy," Dorian noted the parts of the MX that had been been stolen after his shutdown. His right and left arms had been taken clean from the shoulder, both of the legs had been removed from below the knees, both of his eyes had been removed and numerous portions of his hard drive had been extracted from his torso. "which parts of the MX have been taken in comparison to this victim?"

"It's seemingly random every time. Sometimes they're missing all their limbs like this poor fellow here, other times they're missing one or both eyes, even the hardware stolen from the bodies have been seemingly random as well. Nothing special beyond high capacity motors or circuit boards."

"Nothing that can't be found in the usual synthetic markets or repair shops."

Putting his hands to his hips Hank looked at the victim then over to Connor. "You were able to get a pretty good read on that virus that shut him down, think you can trail it to somewhere close to where it came from? Might help narrow things down."

"It is possible, yes." Connor finished analyzing the virus and its code as a whole. "It will require excess power for me to run such a scan but it will be possible."

The prospect of Connor being able to do such a powerful procedure held Dorian's full attention. "Can you convert the program you've devised for such a scan to accommodate my own programming? I can help."

"Theoretically. However, due to our vastly different cybernetics and incompatible software it'd require four point six times as much power to make such a conversion in comparison to me just running the scan alone."

Hank had his own opinion on the matter and gave Connor a stern glance. "Can you afford to use up extra power like that? We're not exactly walking distance from a store stocked up on extra Thirium."

"I will compensate accordingly, it'll be okay. I won't allow my reserve to diminish to a capacity that can hamper my ability to function."

"Alright, kid." It was clear Hank didn't like the idea of Connor exerting himself, but he wasn't going to try to argue and reason with the stubborn deviant. "But if you fall asleep during the drive back I'm throwing your ass in the trunk and hitting every pothole between here and Detroit."

"For the record your trunk could comfortably fit two full grown humanoid bodies inside of it, so that won't be a problem."

"How do you know how many bodies can fit in my trunk?"

"Part of my analytics programming details locating any possible place a body can be stored in the event of an abduction or murder."

"Oh... I'll take your word for it."

Rudy was growing a little impatient and somewhat eager as he hoped to be able to run a few tests on Connor's systems for future reference. "You know, I could join you four on your little sweep of the city and see if I can find a way to boost Connor's power efficiency. I'm not well versed in his programs, but I've always been a quick study and I could-"

"No, thanks." Hank answered on Connor's behalf as he gave the anxious technician an annoyed stare. Pulling on Connor's left shoulder Hank motioned the deviant away in a protective manner strictly because he didn't know who Rudy was, or if he could trust him. "Come on, let's get back upstairs so you can do your thing with the scan and then John and Dorian can do whatever else they need to go to get his case back in motion."

John smirked as Hank led Connor away and got some space between the deviant and the always curious technician. "So, you figured out that the virus is what shuts down the MX's and that's what makes them so vulnerable to whomever it is that's stealing thier parts. Have you figured out what's going on with the stolen parts and software yet?"

"Not yet. My usual sources and connections haven't found anything to locate these stolen parts on the black market, and I doubt they ever will. Each MX model will have their serial number engraved into every single scrap stolen from their bodies, and when extracted without a proper shutdown procedure the hardware will immediately be disabled and rendered unusable. As for the limbs..." Moving over to his terminal screen Rudy brought up a detailed list regarding synthetic limbs and suppliers. "There is less profit for limbs that are all of the same size and design, you know, humans aren't one size fits all. That doesn't mean they still won't be sold for a quick payday, but it won't be as profitable."

"Great. So we still have nothing."

"Not entirely... I wouldn't have asked for the four of you, uh, now two, to come down here if I didn't have anything new to share."

"What's up?"

"This." Bringing up a holographic display of the intricately detailed, precise and flawless cuts of the portions of the MX models who had their hardware stolen Rudy finally gave the detectives a lead to follow. "These marks, every single one of them, are made too perfectly and too consistently to be made by the hands of more than one person. Your suspect is one person with the skills of an engineer, the brain of a hacker and the patience of a nun."

The suspect description made John sneer with irritation. "Sounds like a hat-trick from Hell."

Dorian overlooked the details and found that Rudy's observations were sound. "I'll begin cross-checking arrest records for any suspect who matches Rudy's rather esoteric and unusual description."

"Right, let's get out of here and onto the streets. Thanks for you special brand of help, Rudy. You've been strange but helpful as always."

* * *

Waiting patiently outside for John and Dorian to rejoin them Hank stood beside Connor and watched as the deviant's L.E.D. cycled in yellow rapidly as the proper scan finished calibrating. Connor's soulful brown eyes were closed and his posture was perfect as he danced his quarter over his right knuckles then back forth between his hands to spin along his fingertips. Seeing him in his newly preferred three piece gray suit and white dress shirt gave the illusion of Connor being either a young lawyer, or a high-class businessman, but the fact that Connor's face looked like the average twenty-four year old rookie cop completely destroyed the illusion.

Watching as the yellow light pulsed slower and until it reached its normal rate Hank addressed his partner in a low voice. "How's your program thingy coming along?"

"...Complete." Opening his eyes as his yellow L.E.D. cycled back to blue and Connor looked toward Hank to speak with him as he slipped his coin back into his vest's right pocket. "I am attempting to use the known locations of the fifty-two victims to narrow down the search area as much as logically possible."

"How's that working out for ya'?"

"...Not as well as I had hoped. I believe my prototyping is limiting my ability to chronicle the city as necessary."

"Is this place too big for you?"

"Only as a whole. If I can section off the city area by area that can help." Watching as John and Dorian stepped outside Connor nodded in their direction to let Hank know they were ready to go. "It'll be more logical to search the city one neighborhood at a time."

"Sounds good." John acknowledged the comment as he walked over to the driver's side of his and Dorian's usual patrol car. The sleek, matte black sports car that had bulletproof paneling and bullet resistant glass was far more attractive than Hank's Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. "I'll drive, and Connor," pointing at the deviant for a moment John motioned toward the front passenger seat. "you're riding up front so your scanner thing can work its magic."

Hank pulled open the rear passenger side door and pushed up the seat a little so he could climb into the backseat more comfortably. "Lucky... This thing is a smooth ride."

"I've offered to put up the funds for a more modern vehicle back in Detroit before." Connor responded sharply. "The offer still stands."

"I said it's a 'smooth ride', kid. That doesn't mean I like it more than my classic car."

Dorian joined Hank in the backseat through the opposite rear door and allowed Connor to sit up front as requested. "It's only a smooth ride when John actually pays attention to the road.

"Keep talking, Dorian." Sitting down behind the wheel as Connor sat down beside him John turned the key in the ignition and the car's engine roared to life. "I might steal Hank's idea and have you ride in the trunk for the day."

"I can easily escape a locked trunk, John."

"Want to prove it?" Turning to face Connor more directly John gave the deviant a serious glance. "Alright, where to first?"

Connor reached his left hand forward and pressed his index finger to the G.P.S. mounted in the car's dashboard to set the proper coordinates on John's behalf. "We need to begin here and head toward the heart of the city. I can actively scan the area as you drive and locate the signature of the virus, and potentially find the virus's creator."

"Sounds easy enough. At least we're actually doing something beyond sitting on our asses and hoping that something useful comes along."

Closing his eyes Connor activated his scan and focused his mind solely on his task at hand. Shutting down his unnecessary programs to help conserve energy the deviant cybernetically swept over the street in a five-hundred foot parameter to ensure every centimeter of the streets and sidewalks were touched, and every single building that the car passed by were swept over just as thoroughly.

From the backseat Dorian did his best to scan over Connor's systems to monitor his condition, but Connor's system was just too different to connect to on a direct level. Everything he could do was an external scan that only gave him the basic information that any CyberLife technician would be able to see through a display screen of a Thirial activity monitor.

Hank knew Connor better than anyone and was the first to check in on his current condition with a simple question. "How you doing, kid?"

"...I'm functioning properly. I'm not overheating and my Thirium reserve is only down to ninety-six percent."

The word 'Thirium' was completely foreign to John, and as a detective he needed to ask about it. "What the hell is 'thirium'?"

"...Thirium 310 is the substance that-" Hank's hand patting his left shoulder for a moment reminded Connor that he was speaking to detectives and not technicians, engineers or even a fellow android who shared the same manufacturing knowledge. "...Thirium is what we call 'blue blood'. It's what is used to fuel my biocomponents, which are the android equivalent to internal organs, and helps lubricate my joints."

"You said 'blue blood'. So does that mean if you get cut you'll... bleed?"

"Correct."

"Your 'blood' is blue and Dorian's 'blood' is purple. Why is that?"

"The substance that fuels my body is a mixture of coolant, lubrication and is electrically conductive. Our blood serves essentially the same purpose but because we're created from different material and software we require different fuel substances." Giving John a smug grin Dorian looked out the window beside him and watched the city pass him by. "If you actually paid attention in the courses regarding routine synthetic maintenance then you'd already know that."

"That trunk idea is sounding really tempting right about now..."

"Stop." Connor's eyes opened and became transfixed on a small warehouse just down the street where John had slowed down. By all account the warehouse had been abandoned but Connor's scanner detected activity within the structure's area. "...I can detect the virus's signature coming from within the immediate vicinity of that building."

John parked the car along the street and opened up his door as Connor did the same. The deviant began walking toward the building alone and didn't bother to wait for Hank or anyone else to join him. Making a report to the precinct regarding the warehouse's address with his phone John stayed put and didn't bother to try to stop Connor, and only watched as Hank and Dorian followed after him as quickly as they could.

"Connor, wait up." Trailing after the swiftly moving deviant Hank glanced about the area to try to gain some form of bearings as he slowly acclimated to the new city as much as he could. "Hey, Dorian? What did the warehouses in the area hold before they were abandoned?"

"The usual. Construction equipment, factory overflow and were even used for undercover police operations. They were shutdown two years ago because a lot of drug dealers were hiding their stashes in some very disturbingly high numbers."

"Have anything like 'red ice' on the streets?"

"Not long after John and I started working together we went under a very elaborate undercover operation to remove a potentially lethal drug known as 'the bends' before it got out of hand. Rudy acted as our undercover operative, and uh, he's been itching for an excuse to get another adrenaline rush ever since."

"That explains a lot. He's like a damn chihuahua begging for scraps..."

Chuckling at the comment Dorian's grin froze and then disappeared as he received a cybernetic update about a fifty-third victim being located on the street. The very street they were walking. "Find Connor."

Immediately drawing his weapon from his holster Hank moved forward and searched for the deviant while Dorian regrouped with John at the car. "Damn it... Connor? Connor, answer me!"

"I'm over here, Hank." Calling out in a calm response Connor directed Hank to his current location. "I've located a fifty-third victim."

Letting out a relieved sigh Hank returned his gun to the holster on his right hip and followed after Connor's voice. "Keep talkin', I'll find ya'."

"I located the victim exactly forty-seven seconds ago and informed the precinct."

"Yeah, Dorian got the update and went to tell John." Finding Connor still outside and at the rear of the warehouse in question kneeling over the newest body Hank glanced about and made sure no unwanted eyes were watching him or Connor as they neared the body. "I take it you already ran a scan and all that jazz over the body, right?"

"Correct." The victim was another MX model, and like the others his body was missing parts and had been shutdown beforehand. The right arm and leg were both missing as was the left eye. The torso was wide open exposing where several bits of hardware had been stolen. "I was able to detect the virus within its programming, which is why I was able to locate it."

"Looks like our cybernetic vulture had its pickings over the body and left."

"Not necessarily." Pulling open the surrounding fabric of the cut open uniform Connor ran a scan over the MX's body and shook his head. Lifting his eyes as John and Dorian made it to the back of the warehouse Connor pointed out something interesting that made his victim different from the others. "I believe my arrival interrupted the suspect's crime in progress."

"Shit." John used his phone and requested police drones to circle the area and try to find anyone of interest still in the area. "We just missed him."

"Or _her_." Dorian stated quickly as he monitored the police drones in the area. Feeling the gaze burning a hole in the side of his head Dorian just shrugged his shoulders and gave John a not so innocent grin. "Just sayin'!"

Connor scanned over the MX's torso and pointed to a very fine but very recent cut that had been left unfinished before the attached hard drive could be fully extracted from his body. "Same cuts and same precision, but the hard drive was left behind before the cut could be finished." Standing up Connor ran his scanner over the area and located a set of shoe prints that normally wouldn't be seen by the naked eye. "The suspect was here less than three minutes ago."

John gave the deviant an odd glance. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

Dorian followed Connor's line of sight and his own scanner picked up on the heat signature the suspect left behind as he knelt on the ground beside the MX android as he began scrapping the parts. "He's right. There's a faint trail but it's still fresh."

"Can you two follow it?"

"Yes." Dorian and Connor answered in unison as their respective lights glowed in blue and yellow for a moment.

"...That was creepy. Look, just do it." John waved them off as back-up arrived to secure the scene. "Get us a trail to follow and we'll rejoin you."

Connor silently nodded while Dorian answered in the affirmative. "Right."

John gave Hank a lost glance as he and the seasoned Lieutenant let the other officers set up a perimeter around the body with holographic police lines. "Does that happen a lot?"

"What? Connor speaking in chorus with another android?"

"Yeah, that."

"No." Watching Connor and Dorian following the invisible trail until they were out of sight Hank returned his focus to John. "The kid rarely has anyone who's right on his brain wave when it comes to theories, let alone _cooperative_ responses."

"Nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't play well with others."

"Fuck, join the club." Standing back and watching the other MX models gather around their fallen comrade; emotionless, professional, cold in every way, Hank folded his arms over his chest and realized how much he truly appreciated Connor's slowly developing humanity. "I'm thinking about making some business cards or some shit."

"Let me pick the card's background and text and I'll split the bill with getting them printed."

* * *

The trail was growing fainter by the second and the two androids were walking as quickly as they dared in an attempt to keep the trail from growing completely cold. The suspect had been running, their foot steps indicative of a full sprint by a human and not an android, and they were running very fast. To the keen eyes of the two androids they determined the suspect to be a male, approximately one-hundred and fifty pounds, five foot ten inches in height and confirmed that he was working alone when he attacked the MX android.

"I guess I should apologize to John." Dorian noted as he and Connor found themselves inexplicably standing at a dead end where the shoe prints mysterious stopped. "We're looking for a 'he' after all."

"Don't apologize for having a valid response to his comment."

"The trail stops at this concrete barricade leading into the park. I'll climb up and see if I can pick up the trail again."

"That's a wise decision. I'll join you."

Dorian tilted his head a little but didn't protest. Rushing toward the wall the D.R.N. was able to leap up and grab onto the edge of the ten foot tall concrete wall and pull himself up. As Dorian lifted his body up and set foot down atop the wall Connor joined him at the top of the wall just as quickly and just as easily.

"It's refreshing to begin a potential foot pursuit with someone who can keep up."

"The feeling is mutual." Scanning the top of the wall and the surrounding grass Connor picked up on the trail again. "We're on the right track."

Dorian tapped into the police drones circling over the park, the lights in his face glowing a bright blue as he received the feed, and looked at a single point of interest in the distance. "There is a young male wearing a blue hoodie with the hood pulled up. His build and height are ninety-two point four percent match. He is two-hundred and six point two feet North of out current location."

Connor's scanner picked up on a second person of interest and he turned to look over his right shoulder back to the warehouse where the fifty-third victim had been found. "...There is another potential suspect behind us. There is a ninety-three point one percent match, and he is exactly ninety-one feet behind us." Noticing the small metal staircase near the sixth of the six warehouses on the property that connected to the rooftops Connor determined that the second suspect used the staircase to sneak around undetected.

"I'll chase my guy and you chase your guy." Dorian knew they couldn't risk questioning one and not the other. "We'll meet back here after."

"Agreed."

"Good luck."

With a simple nod Dorian sprinted through the park while Connor began sprinting along the concrete wall and gracefully leapt onto the roof of the nearest warehouse that was at the opposite end of where the fifty-third victim had been located. Running along the metal rooftop of the warehouse Connor honed in on the second human signature that had caught his interest and detected the signature beginning to run as well. Leaping from one warehouse to the other Connor chased after the person and quickly caught up to him after they abandoned their hiding spot behind a large external ventilation shaft of the fifth warehouse.

From the ground below Hank and John heard the thundering footsteps over the metal rooftops and looked up in time to see Connor make the massive leap from the fourth warehouse and to the ground as a hooded figure scrambled to get through the blockade of police cars and patrolling MX's once he realized that Connor knew where he was.

"Holy shit!" Seeing Connor make his leap of faith put John on edge and he began jogging after him. "What's going on? And where's Dorian?"

"Doesn't matter. You chase that guy with Connor." Hank stated in a firm voice as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'll stay here and figure out what's going on from Connor himself."

"Shit... I always hate it when they run."

As Connor rushed down the sidewalk after the young man in the hoodie the deviant sensed the police drones overhead accompanying him and promptly received a call from Hank and answered it cybernetically. ' _I'm in pursuit of a possible suspect, Hank_.'

' _Yeah, I figured as much_. _What about Dorian_?'

' _Dorian is currently in pursuit of a second possible suspect_. _I will update you soon_.' Ending the call Connor quickly gained speed and shouted at the suspect to stop running and to surrender. "Police! Do not move!"

"STOP!" John's voice called out just as loudly as he managed to match Connor's pace and catch up very quickly. "Stop now or we will shoot!"

At those words the suspect immediately stopped and raised their hands in the air as they turned around. "I... P-Please!"

Connor and John stopped in front of the young man and accepted his surrender. Connor walked around to stand behind the suspect to prevent him from trying to run for a second time, and John pulled the hoodie down to reveal the suspect's face; a teenage boy on the verge of tears. Sending a text to Hank's phone Connor confirmed that he and John caught their suspect, and Hank confirmed that Dorian had just returned with his own suspect in custody.

"Wh-What were you doing at the warehouse?" Putting his hands to hips John studied the young man's face with a sense of disappointment as he took in deep and calming breaths. The young man looked like he was still in high school and was absolutely petrified by being busted by the cops. "And why'd ya' run?"

"I... I was looking to score some drugs. B-But I didn't buy anything!" The kid was shaking and his eyes were wide with adrenaline and fear. "I swear! Ch-Check my pockets if you want!"

Connor quickly ran a scan over the young man's person and didn't take any narcotics on his person. "He's clean."

Nodding in acknowledgment John sighed and started asking a new set of questions. "While you were out there did you see anyone stalking around?"

"N-No. I saw that... uh..." He looked at Connor for a moment, confused by the blue L.E.D. in his right temple as he didn't recognize Connor as any standard MX synthetic patrolling the streets. "One of the android cops. But... Not one like him."

An MX on a patrol pulled up to the scene to lend assistance and John motioned to the MX with his right thumb over his right shoulder. "You mean like him?"

"Yeah, like him!" The teenage suspect confirmed. "I saw him patrolling the warehouses or something, so me and my buddy figured there was something good hidden in there."

John let out an annoyed sigh and resisted rolling his eyes. "Great logic, kid." Waving over the MX John nodded at the kid and gave them an order. "Take him down for questioning and check the security footage near the warehouses. If he didn't actually break-in to any of the warehouses or buy drugs let him go with a warning."

"Very well." Putting his hand on the teenager's shoulder the MX led the youth over to the street to await a patrol car to take him back to the precinct. "Come along, you're under arrest."

Connor noted the cold and emotionless tone of the MX model and shook his head a little. It was disconcerting to hear the voice of an obedient machine, and began to wonder if he too sounded the same way before he deviated.

"Let's head back." John stated somewhat sternly as looked at Connor. "Your scan thing found a new victim so we know its working. We need to keep moving and find the trail."

"Yes, right." Choosing his words carefully as to not sound too machine Connor anxiously pulled his coin out of his right vest pocket again and resumed his dance over the back of his right knuckles to ensure his reflexes were calibrated to their highest functionality. "...I'm sure Dorian's suspect is the 'buddy' that our own suspect mentioned."

"I bet you're right. Good job catching up to that kid, by the way."

"Thank you. I don't mean to sound arrogant or condescending but it's impressive that you were able to catch up to me as quickly as you did. Very few humans can do that."

A proud smirk appeared on John's face as he happily explained how he was able to catch up during the chase. "In high school I was nicknamed the 'White Cheetah' for how fast I could run down the field during games. I lost my right leg but I haven't lost my stride."

"I presume you're speaking of football."

"Damn straight. My records are still going strong and I'll doubt they'll be broken any time soon." Walking side by side John noticed the coin dancing between Connor's hands with a precision he'd never seen before. "...What the hell are you doing?"

Faintly blushing a pale blue Connor pocketed his coin and stared at the sidewalk under his feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."

"It wasn't bothering me, it was just weird. How'd you do that?"

Lifting his eyes Connor looked to John and pointed at his blue cycling L.E.D. in his right temple. "Android."

"Right, right... I guess I should've asked _why_ you're doing that instead. So, what gives?"

"It's how I perform an external calibration of my hand-eye coordination and overall reflexes."

"Think you could show me how to do that?"

"I... suppose." Making a move to retrieve his coin Connor's hand froze in place as he received a new text message from Hank. "We can confirm that the second suspect was the first suspect's friend, and that they were curiously exploring the area in search of illegal narcotics."

"All because they saw _one_ of the MX models patrolling the area?"

"Apparently so. Why was the MX in the area anyway?" As his L.E.D. flickered in yellow for a moment Connor downloaded details on the warehouses of interest as he and John walked. "The warehouses have been closed to the public for the past two years, four months, one week, two days-" Stopping himself from getting too precise to avoid the stigma of being a machine Connor got right to his point. "...The buildings should all be completely empty and hold nothing of any actual value. There would be no need for any MX model to be patrolling an area that doesn't have anything worth protecting."

"You're right." Rejoining Dorian and Hank near where Connor had found the latest victim John stood beside the body and gave it an odd look. "Why would this MX be patrolling an area that wasn't worth patrolling?"

Dorian's face illuminated with blue lights as he checked the patrol routes of every single MX in the entire city. "This MX wasn't assigned to patrol this area at all. He was assigned to patrol the park just behind the warehouse, and his patrol route wouldn't have taken him anywhere near the warehouses."

"Something must've lured him over here."

"You're right, but with his memory corrupted by the virus we'll never know what it was."

"Let's check through these six warehouses and see if they're _really_ abandoned. I get the feeling that they're not quite as empty as the city was led to assume."

Within ten seconds Dorian was able to approve a warrant to search the buildings. "Done. We can begin searching the warehouses immediately."

Nodding at his two additional detectives John made his next decision. "Hank, you're an expert on narcotics. Go with Dorian and check out this warehouse and see if there's something in there that shouldn't be there." Pointing to the one right next to the body John began backing away to the other warehouses further away. "I'll start from the other end and work my way forward. Connor, you're with me again."

"Yeah," Hank agreed as he and Dorian approached the side door leading into the warehouse. "you two do most of the leg-work so I can make it the full day without needing a caffeine transfusion to keep alert."

John walked down the length of the total of six large warehouses to with Connor beside him. Reaching the door John pressed his thumb print to the biometric lock and watched as the door unlocked thanks to the warrant granting his passage into the warehouse of interest. "Can your scanner pick up on further traces of the virus?"

Connor scanned the warehouse and shook his head. "No. There is no-" Brow furrowing Connor peered through the opened door and considering drawing his gun from the holster wrapped around his back and concealed under his blazer. "The warehouse is lined with titanium and lead, but I'm certain I detected the faint vital signs of an unknown human lurking inside."

"It better be a janitor." Stepping through the door to enter the warehouse, the motion sensor lights inside the building illuminating the moment the two detectives stepped into the building, John held his gun out before himself and kept close to the wall. "Sweep the perimeter."

Nodding silently Connor drew his own gun and began walking the walls in the opposite direction of John. The dense metal in the walls were affecting Connor's scanner, but it hadn't left him completely without his enhanced senses just yet. Glancing upward Connor saw very faint movement from the catwalk leading to the second floor of the warehouse and began walking toward the metal staircase leading upward without drawing the suspect's attention.

John hadn't noticed Connor beginning the ascent and just continued to check the warehouse floor for any sign of another person. It was quiet save for his own light footsteps and slow breathing as he checked the warehouse very carefully. The layout of the warehouse was massive and the large metallic shelves secured to the concrete floor created aisles that made it difficult to see across from one side of the warehouse to the other.

The stillness of the warehouse was suddenly interrupted by Connor's shouting voice and thundering footsteps over the metal catwalk above John's head, causing the detective below to look upward quickly and locate Connor by the deviant's loud voice. "Stop! Police!"

"Shit! Connor?" Rushing toward the nearest staircase John heard a gasp of pain followed by a heavy 'thud' against the concrete floor as Connor was pushed over the metal railing of the catwalk and landed hard on the unforgiving floor beneath. "Fuck!" Rushing over to where Connor had fallen John knelt beside the downed deviant as Connor laid on his back with a massive growing puddle of dark blue blood spreading over the right side and front right portion of his chest where he had been stabbed and slashed by a lethally sharp knife. "Connor?!"

The deviant's eyes were open but they were glazed over and his L.E.D. was rapidly flickering between red and yellow in his temple. Unresponsive and practically motionless Connor looked as if he were already dead.

"Shit..." Aiming his gun upward toward the catwalk in the direction of the panicking suspect as they tried to find a place to run John pulled his phone from his pocket and called for back-up to the warehouse to report the assault and the suspect at the scene. "I need back-up down at warehouse six on the corner of Nineteenth and Weston! Officer down! I repeat, officer down!"

Pocketing his phone John begrudgingly stepped away from Connor and rushed over to the staircase in an attempt to head off the suspect before they escaped.

"Sorry, Connor." Muttering the apology as he reluctantly left the deviant behind John never took his eyes from the suspect. "But help's coming..."

Jogging up the staircase John managed to plant himself between the fleeing suspect and the staircase with surprising ease as the suspect hadn't anticipated John coming after him while a fellow detective had been injured. Pointing his weapon at the suspect's chest John saw the electrically charged knife covered in Connor's blue blood clutched in the suspect's right hand. Not taking any chances John kept his gun aimed and stared at the hooded figure with utter disgust in his eyes.

"Drop the knife!"

The suspect took a step backward and John stepped forward to keep their distance close. The suspect had their face concealed under their hood and was wearing a pair of thick black rimmed eyeglasses with dark blue lenses over their eyes.

"DO NOT MOVE." Shouting loud enough to get some attention to anyone near the exterior of the warehouse John proved he wasn't bluffing. "Drop the knife and get down on the ground!"

The sound of additional footsteps rushing into the warehouse made the suspect panic more, and was ready to turn around and risk a bullet to the back.

"If you move again I WILL shoot." Delivering the fair warning John didn't back down. "Get down on the ground, NOW."

Dorian appeared at the other end of the catwalk as he and Hank made their way down to the warehouse to assist. Cutting off the suspect's only retreat Dorian issued the order right alongside John. "You have nowhere to go. You need to surrender before it gets any worse."

Unable to escape and unwilling to go quietly the suspect dropped the knife then leapt over the side of the catwalk to plunge to his own death. He fell too quickly to be caught and neither John or Dorian could catch him by the arm before he fell to prevent his suicide.

"Shit!" Looking over the railing as the body collided with the floor with a sickening impact twenty yards from where Connor was laying John felt his stomach turn and saw that Dorian was feeling just as sick at the sight. The suspect's glasses cracked and skidded across the concrete floor away from the body due to the force of the impact. "...That asshole stabbed Connor." John closed his eyes and leveled his voice. "He wasn't going to do well in prison for assaulting a cop."

"...He was desperate and destructive."

"That doesn't make his death our fault, Dorian. We tried to get him to surrender, he chose to jump instead."

"Yeah. But that doesn't make it any easier to accept."

"I know." Holstering his weapon John and Dorian descended the staircase as quickly as possible to get down and check on Connor. Hank was applying pressure to the bleeding wound in Connor's right side and talking in a low voice as he tried to get Connor respond to him. Hank did not giving a damn about the deceased suspect laying on the ground uncomfortably close to where he was kneeling. "How bad is he hurt?"

Hank didn't look up as he stared at Connor's stunned face with an almost paternal worry in his blue eyes. "Bad. He's barely breathing and he won't answer my voice or look at me."

"W-Wait, he _breathes_?" John intentionally put himself between Hank's line of sight and the victim's body as he spoke. "Why the hell would an android need to breathe?"

Dorian ignored the question and knelt down on the other side of Connor while additional MX models swarmed the interior of the warehouse to take care of the suspect's body and uncover his identity. They also took the offending knife into evidence and unknowingly updated the precinct on the 'officer down' as merely a 'damaged android' as they didn't register Connor as a detective.

"Connor?" Hank tried again to get the deviant to respond to his voice. "Connor, look at me. Say something."

Dorian couldn't connect to Connor's system but he was able to successfully scan Connor's vitals and gauge the severity of the damage. Pulling open the buttons of Connor's gray vest and white dress shirt Dorian exposed Connor's chest and pressed his left palm flat down in the middle of the deviant's pale and practically still chest very carefully. "...His artificial heart seems to be suffering some form of arrhythmia."

John's hazel eyes went wide for a moment and then narrowed. "He has a HEART, too?"

"Hank," forcing himself to look Hank in his eyes Dorian sought confirmation on what his own scanner was registering. "do you know exactly how human Connor was designed when it comes to his vital signs?"

" _Very_ human. CyberLife android vital signs are meant to emulate human vitals signs exactly to make things simpler for the technicians to handle."

"Then he is suffering an arrhythmia."

"Where can we take him for treatment?"

"Nowhere. I will do what I can to help him," Dorian promised as he hovered over Connor cautiously. "but even Rudy won't be able to do anything for him."

"How can you help him if your own technician can't do it?"

John put his left hand on Hank's right shoulder and pulled him back a little. "You're going to want to get clear. Dorian knows what to do and it won't be pretty."

Standing upright Hank looked at the blue blood covering his palms and then watched as Dorian kept his left palm at the center of Connor's chest and then put his right palm to the apex of Connor's heart as he created a controlled electrical charge in his own palms to defibrillate the struggling heart; Connor's Thirium pump, to force it back into a proper rhythm.

"Stay back!" Dorian warned as he sent the controlled charge through Connor's heart. The electrical pulse was enough to cause Connor's back to arch slightly in a physical response, but otherwise he remained still on the floor.

"Holy shit..." The sight of Dorian being able to perform such a crucial life-saving procedure like that was something Hank was not expecting.

"No change." Repeating the action Dorian defibrillated the pump again and the action was enough to finally cause Connor's heart to stabilize, and made his flickering L.E.D. settle on a slow yellow pulse after the charge passed through Connor's heart. "Okay, he seems to be in a proper rhythm now."

Kneeling back down on the floor Hank leaned over Connor's face to try to get him to respond at last as he resumed applying pressure to Connor's still bleeding right side and chest. "Connor? Can you hear me, son? You need to answer me."

The deviant's eyes remained open and glazed over, but he didn't say a word.

"Shit."

Being very careful Dorian examined the bleeding wound in Connor's side and chest around Hank's palms and tried to think of the best way to take care of the damage with the very limited supplies and knowledge of Connor's model to guide his decisions. "We need to get him back to Rudy's lab."

John gave Dorian a confused glance as he knelt down beside Hank. "You said Rudy won't be able to help."

"He won't, but his lab is sterilized specifically for handling artificial lifeforms. It's the best place for him to be."

Hank agreed and made a move to slip his arms under Connor's shoulders and knees to pick up the surprisingly lightweight deviant from the floor, but Dorian stopped him. "What're you doing?"

"You keep holding the pressure, I'll carry Connor instead."

Taking control over the situation John led the way as Dorian easily picked up Connor while Hank kept holding the pressure on the bleeding wounds. Leading the way back to the car John opened up the rear passenger side door and used his phone to contact the precinct to update Captain Maldonado on what happened and to let Rudy know that they were coming in with Connor.

"Let me climb in first." Hank stated as he climbed into the backseat while Dorian placed Connor down over the length of the seats gently. Moving his arms into a more appropriate position the senior detective supported Connor in slightly upright position, keeping his head up on his right bicep, then pressed his left palm down over Connor's bleeding wounds again. "Okay, go."

Dorian sat down in the front passenger seat while John returned to the steering wheel. The D.R.N.'s face lit up in blue and yellow as he checked over the current traffic congestion in the city. "I'll direct you through the thinnest traffic to get back to the precinct."

"Make sure the suspect's body gets a full autopsy and have the knife sent to Rudy's lab for analysis." John stated as he pulled the car onto the street. "That guy was scared out of his mind by something, and I don't think it was just the cops."

"I understand the suspect, but the knife? Why?"

"It was electrically charged when I saw it in the suspect's hand." Briefly glancing up at the rearview mirror John studied Connor's blank face and knew that the stab and slash wounds were the least of the deviant's problems. "I guarantee that knife is what was used to cut out the stolen hardware from the victims, AND that's what was delivering the virus and shutting the MX's down to begin with."

"If you're right then it's possible that Connor was infected with the same virus."

"I sure as shit hope not." Focusing on the streets ahead of him John felt a twinge of guilt knowing that Connor got hurt while he was supposed to be watching the deviant's back, and knowing he was wounded so severely in the matter of seconds only made the guilt worse. "But if he was infected let's hope him being a different kind of android is enough to keep him alive."

* * *

The phone call from John wasn't one that Captain Maldonado was hoping to receive, but she kept her cool as any good police Captain would. Making a report on the assault against Connor and of the fifty-third victim being located at the warehouse the seasoned Captain informed Valerie of the situation, and requested that she go out to the warehouses to continue the investigation on the other detectives' behalves until everything was back under control. Just as Valerie and her MX finished getting ready to leave a small commotion filled the bullpen with curious voices.

Looking toward the source of the interest Valerie froze at the sight of Connor covered in blue blood as he was being carried through the precinct with John and Dorian at his sides, and supporting his weight with his arms wrapped around their shoulders. Hank was trying to remain calm and composed as he walked along side the three detectives but it was clear he was very worried for his deviant partner's life.

"Valerie." Captain Maldonado spoke up and ended the tension in the air as Connor was carried off to Rudy's lab for assistance. "Go out and see what it was that they had found, and figure out why those warehouses are suddenly interesting. We have the two teenage suspects for questioning and now a body to autopsy. We need to know what's going on and why."

"Right, Cap'." Checking her weapon for a moment Valerie nodded to her MX partner and began walking toward the front door. "I'm on it."

* * *

Within the cold and somewhat macabre lab Connor was placed on his back over the length of the exam table where the fifty-second victimized MX model had been laying just hours before, and now had Rudy hovering over him warily. Thanks to Dorian's scanner and resourcefulness the bleeding in Connor's side had been stemmed with some gauze and pressure, but the damage itself still needed to be repaired. Staring at Rudy as the technician hovered a small portable scanner over Connor's person Hank waited for an update on his partner's condition. John was standing back a small distance and watching the procedure as if he were about to watch an assault victim succumb to their wounds right before his eyes.

Connor was still motionless and his yellow L.E.D. would occasionally blink to red as his self healing program struggled to repair the damage to his chest while simultaneously trying to isolate the virus that had entered his system. The strain of his programs functioning at such high capacity while his ventilation biocomponents; his artificial lungs, failed to respond due to the damage to Connor's chest was causing the deviant's core temperature to steadily rise until he was reaching a notably high degree.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen." Rudy was ready to admit defeat as he looked over the reading on his scanner and tried to figure out what he was seeing. "I just don't know how to help him. I've never encountered an android of his design, of his hardware and software, of his function or of his energy read-out. He is almost too spectacular in a sense. His design is just too unique to be compared to any of the androids that I've worked on in the past."

Hank swore under his breath as he realized that Connor was in serious danger of shutting down. "Look, he has a self healing program that can take care of the damage once he's stabilized. I'm not a technician but I managed to read up enough on androids and I've spoken with Connor enough times to know the basics. He needs to stop bleeding and he needs to start breathing, that's all. His self healing program will take it from there."

Rudy let out a sigh as he replaced his glasses and magnifying lens over his eyes and took a closer look at Connor's injury beneath the gauze wrapping. "Well... It looks like a large tube was cut by the knife and... it looks like that tube connects to his- Does he have LUNGS?"

Losing his patience John spoke up and tried to get the technician back on target. "Focus, Rudy. What about that tube? What're you thinking?"

"Oh, right. Uh, it looks like the tube connected to his... I'm going to call it his 'right lung', has been damaged but not destroyed. If I can open up his chest paneling all the way I can get a closer look and either repair the damage or find a suitable replacement to keep him activated. And even if I did all that I have no idea what this virus could be doing to his system, and if helping him could make the virus somehow worse."

Despite not knowing Rudy very well Hank knew that the technician was Connor's best chance at survival. "Okay, say you get his chest open and you can fix that line, what can you do about his bleeding? I know you don't have any Thirium anywhere in this city beyond the two pints in our hotel room, and if I don't know if that'll be enough to help him, then I know _you_ don't know either."

"You're right, I don't. But we could get a little more of this 'Thirium' then I know I can repair the damage without his reserve getting too much lower. According to my scan and Dorian's scan Connor's vitals are currently weak but stable, and I want them to _stay_ stable." Double-checking his screen Rudy gave the deviant a somber glance. "His artificial heart is beating at one-hundred and sixteen beats per minute, he isn't breathing at all, his Thirium reserve is at seventy-four percent, I imagine his Thirium pressure is understandably low and his core body temperature is hovering at just over one-hundred degrees."

Dorian could hear the the fear in Rudy's voice and see it in Hank's eyes. Stepping up Dorian returned his left palm to Connor's chest and continued to monitor him closely. "Rudy, if you can repair the damage then I can work on extracting the virus from his system and we can finally find the person responsible for this mess. Let me help you and we can save Connor and close this case."

The idea of Dorian helping out was enough to make Hank's tense shoulders slump in mild relief, but it wasn't enough to make him stop worrying.

Knowing it was a sound plan John sided with Dorian and basically gave Rudy an order. "Do it. You two save Connor while I make a run to the hotel and grab the Thirium. I'll also update Captain Maldonado on the situation."

Dorian nodded and slipped off his jacket before rolling up his long sleeves. "I'm on it, John."

"Hank." Turning his attention to the senior detective John led Hank back out of the lab. "You're with me. I have no idea what Thirium even looks like..."

* * *

Unwilling to leave Connor alone in the precinct Hank sat at John's desk and waited for an update on his partner while John went to their hotel to locate the Thirium that had been brought as a precautionary measure. Knowing that John had led him out of the lab under the guise of helping to locate the Thirium to keep him from worrying too much Hank couldn't be mad at the gesture since it was for his own benefit, but he couldn't just let it slide either. Residing to himself at the desk Hank ignored the random stares of other cops and MX models trying to figure out who Hank was and why he was there, and made a mental note to never take the kind and lively glances of the deviants back in Detroit for granted ever again.

Struggling to ignore his headache as he looked at the details on the case through John's terminal screen Hank barely registered Captain Maldonado's voice calling out to him from her opened office doorway.

"Lieutenant Anderson, I need to speak with you."

Sighing to himself Hank rose from the chair and walked over to the office as he had been requested. Sitting down in the chair across from the Captain with a heavy grimace Hank awaited the usual speech of how she knew what Hank was feeling, thinking and trying to empathize with the officer according to the police handbook.

Captain Maldonado was giving Hank her full attention and she had two cups of coffee sitting on her desk to her left. "You look like Hell, Hank."

"I feel like Hell. But I imagine Connor's feeling worse."

"I read the report. According to John's statement, the security cameras inside the warehouse and the numerous P.O.V.'s of the MX models and police drones at the scene, Connor tried to talk the suspect down and even reholstered his weapon before approaching. We assume that because the virus the suspect was using to disable MX androids had no effect on Connor the suspect panicked, stabbed Connor and then tossed Connor over the catwalk."

"Yeah, I read the report, too. The only reason Connor survived the fall is because he was built to be so damn sturdy, but even he has his limits."

"So do _you_. So do we all."

"Can't even try to argue with that. Before John issued the call for help Dorian found a very faint trace of substance that was red in color, and very similar to crystal meth."

The comment immediately caught Captain Maldonado's attention. "...Are you saying there's 'red ice' in the city?"

"It's possible. Dorian doesn't have any record of that narcotic in his databanks, and he told me that none of the MX models do either. The only one who can confirm the sample is Connor." Reaching into his coat pocket Hank pulled out his phone and showed Captain Maldonado the photo he took of the tiny red crystals that Dorian found, and secured in a plastic evidence bag that the other MX's took from him upon learning Connor was hurt. "My every instinct tells me that your newest threat might be my oldest."

"Shit. The last thing this city needs is a 'red ice' epidemic. If you think it's at risk of ending up on the streets I trust you to do whatever it is you can to get rid of it. John took down the 'Bishop' who was trying to get 'the bends' on the street, and without a current reigning drug kingpin we're going to have a little competition on the street to gain the vacant title."

"Yeah, I'll make sure your guys know how to handle 'red ice' before I head back to Detroit. I get the feeling me and Connor are going to be heading back before the week's up since John and Dorian were already onto something with this case before we even arrived. Shit, with any luck we'll close that case before the day's over."

Sliding one of the two coffee cups over to Hank to take for himself Captain Maldonado studied Hank's reaction closely. "How're you holding up?"

"About like what you'd expect."

"I don't know you, Hank. I only know _about_ you." Taking the lid off her own coffee cup Captain Maldonado took a tentative sip. "So, I'll ask you again. How're you holding up?"

"To be honest?" Taking the coffee at last Hank removed the lid and stared at the black coffee warily. "Not great."

"I figured as much. I know that Rudy is a capable technician and that he can be a little... 'much' at times, so I have no doubt he'll do everything he can to save Connor and get him back on his feet."

"I'm not worried about it since Dorian's with him, and Dorian actually reminds me a bit of Connor."

"How's that?"

"Dorian is far more human than 'synthetic' at this point, and I get the feeling he was partnered with John because John needed someone like Dorian to help him get through a shitty time and back to being a functioning detective." Catching a faint glimpse of his reflection in the surface off the coffee Hank finally took a sip and admitted he had his own problems in the past. "Connor did the same for me."

"Well, you're not wrong about those two. If it wasn't for Dorian being as loyal as he is stubborn I think John would've resigned long ago, and gone rogue."

"I know if it wasn't for Connor I wouldn't even be here right now. The kid's stubborn, loyal and too damn clever for his own good."

"It's never easy moving forward after losing a loved one." Only grazing the subject of Cole the kind Captain continued to reach out to Hank in a truly understanding way. "I'm glad you were able to find the strength to keep living despite the pain you were surely suffering."

"There are days where I'm glad, too."

Smirking a little at the comment Captain Maldonado noticed that John had returned and was jogging through the bullpen with two bottles with blue tinted liquid contained inside in his grip. "John's got what Connor needs. He'll be fine."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make waiting any easier."

"It never is."

"Is that why you gave me the coffee, Cap'? Keep me awake and caffeinated so I don't bite some poor unsuspecting rookie's head off."

"That, and I know how much waiting gives you a headache. Also, just call me 'Sandra'. We're not talking as detectives right now, we're talking as friends."

"Well, whatever reason you have for giving me this coffee, thank you, ...Sandra."

"You're welcome, Hank."

* * *

Handing over the necessary Thirium to Rudy to take John watched as Dorian finished finally isolating and extracting the offending virus from Connor's system, and began analyzing the virus to continue the search now that Connor had been temporarily sidelined by his injury. The sight of Rudy hovering over Connor's opened chest was an unsettling sight, but knowing that it was the only way to save the deviant's life was very humbling. It made Connor seem truly alive and less like an android despite his blood being a different color than his own.

All life was fragile regardless of how it came into being, or what it looked like.

"How's he doing?" Asking out of genuine concern and curiosity John watched as Rudy looked at the Thirium, looked at Connor and then set the Thirium bottles aside for the moment.

"He's still active and I managed to repair that tube in his chest. Now, I just need to clean up the inside of his chest cavity and I'll be able to close him up and replace the bandages. He'll be able to recover from there without any need of a technician's help."

"And what about the virus?"

Dorian sighed and held up a flashdrive for John to see. "I got it out of his system AND it's intact. We can finally get a full sample of the virus and continue tracking down the suspect who created it through the I.P. address. Also, we got word on the knife that attacked Connor. It was emitting a scrambling signal that disrupted surveillance cameras for up to five minutes, caused any MX models in a two-hundred foot area to be drawn to the signal being emitted by the knife, and it was also holding the virus that disabled the MX's who were stabbed with it. The knife had been the source of the virus infection in the previous victims, the corrupted memorybanks and security cameras. We managed to find the source of the virus and disable it."

"What about our suicide victim? Did he create that knife, or was he just a pawn in someone else's scheme?"

A faint grimace appeared on Dorian's face as he vividly remembered the sight and sound of the victim throwing himself over the catwalk and to his death on the concrete floor of the warehouse. "...We got a confirmation on their identity from Detective Stahl. The suspect is Charles Roger Emmett, age twenty-two and the only chrome ever expelled from the Academy of Technology. He has no affiliation with our other teen suspects, and they have since been released."

"Our victim was a _chrome_?" It was rare for a chrome to ever be a suspect in any crime, let alone get expelled from school. "How'd he get expelled?"

"Charles had been accepting payment to take tests for naturals in other schools, and had been hacking into the school's databases to alter grades when the price was high enough. He was busted when his roommate, another chrome, informed the dean out of his moral conscience. Charles disappeared in shame and had apparently been working underground and continuing his hacking tricks for other customers to make ends meet. Out of shame his parents disowned him and don't know where he currently is."

"Great, sounds like an ideal family. Any customers we know hiring Charles?"

"There is a rumor that a new wanna' be drug kingpin has been attempting to make a name for himself as 'the Knight' now that 'the Bishop' has been killed. One of the top suspects for this attempted rise to the throne is Tyson Orion, and according to Charles's phone records he and Tyson have been in communication for a little over four weeks."

"Right when the MX murders started. Terrific..." Watching Rudy replace Connor's chest panel and wrap up the deviant's chest as Connor's artificial skin regenerated like a tide washing over the sand John gave Dorian an exhausted stare from where he stood. "Where do we go from here?"

"We find Connor a place to recover and we search for Tyson. Since Connor's the only one to have been attacked by this suspect without being killed and managed to survive without his memory being wiped out, it's important that he's kept safe until he can reboot and tell us what happened in his own words. Until then we'll follow the virus's origin point and we should be able to get an idea of where Tyson is hiding out."

"Uh, why can't we just let Connor recover in his hotel room? I highly doubt any hacker thug would breach a famous hotel to- Know what? Never mind." Running his right hand through his dark locks of hair John tried to breathe through his frustration. "If Charles, a college drop-out, would be bold enough to attack MX androids in public, smart enough to scramble security footage, know how to lure MX models into vulnerable positions AND had the balls to attack another cop in public, then it's safe to say that Orion, or whoever else Charles was working for, would be just as bold in getting to the cop who took down Charles, and get revenge to help make a name for themself."

"Exactly." Dorian looked down at the deviant's face, the L.E.D. still yellow in color, and felt like he was personally responsible for Connor's safety. "We need to treat Connor like a witness in need of protection."

"Great. Where do we take Connor? Where's the one place where no one would dare to sneak into, no matter how bold they are?"

"Well, I can think of _one_ place where no androids were permitted to go... And I think I know what place I'm talking about..."

The devilish gleam in Dorian's blue eyes told John all he needed to know about what the D.R.N. had in mind. "Wait, no! No way!"

"It's perfect! Even you didn't think of it!"

"There's no way we're taking Connor back to _my house_!"

"What's the harm in letting Connor sleep it off on your couch? It's not like he's going to make a mess, or root through your underwear drawer."

The odd comment made Rudy look up after he finished wrapping up Connor's chest, and he gave the two detectives a very confused look.

"It'll just be until Connor wakes up and can defend himself again." Arguing his logic Dorian kept pushing for the obvious solution. "That's just a couple of hours at most for someone as advanced as Connor."

"I..." Still feeling guilty for Connor being wounded John relented but did so in a very aggravated manner. "Fine! But as soon as he's awake he'll be staying at the precinct where he can still work on the case without anyone else trying to watch over him. Not a minute longer."

"I knew you could sensible, John." Acting as if he were wiping a tear away Dorian teased the gruff detective with his usual charm. "I'm so proud."

"Don't forget about the trunk, Dorian. Don't make me test the theory."

"Uh..." Rudy interjected in a timid manner. "Now that you two have Connor's arrangements handled, can you answer me one very important question?"

John looked back to Rudy and tried to relax his stressed demeanor. "What's that?"

"How do I get the Thirium into Connor's body?"

Not feeling a little mischievous himself John sighed and looked over at Dorian with a smug look. "According to Lieutenant Anderson, who has been helping Connor out for several months now, he needs to drink it."

"Pardon me..." Rudy's eyes narrowed and he gave the two Thirium bottles a disgusted glance. "Did you say, _drink_ it?"

"Yup. Do your thing, Rudy." Working with Dorian across the exam table from himself the two detectives helped Connor to sit upright, and John then lowered Connor's bottom jaw on the unconscious deviant's behalf. "Help Connor drink his own blood. Then maybe you can build a new type of robot vampire to be your little minions of the night and find you a real date."

"Not funny, detective." Opening the first bottle of Thirium carefully Rudy swallowed nervously and began the sickening task of pouring the blue blood directly into Connor's mouth without choking the deviant in the process. "I happen to have a very promising dating life, I'm just in a bit of a dry spell. That's all... A very big and suffocating dry spell."

* * *

It wasn't easy explaining things to Captain Maldonado regarding Connor's need for safety, let alone convincing Hank to let John and Dorian take the still unconscious deviant away from the precinct and into hiding. While they couldn't be certain that Connor's inaccessible memory contained anything vital to the case at hand no one wanted to risk potentially leaving Connor in a vulnerable state or risk a key piece of evidence being lost in the process. With Captain Maldonado's blessing the three detectives managed to get Connor back into John and Dorian's patrol car, and drive out to John's personal residence to place the deviant in a secured and secretive place.

Placing the still unconscious deviant down on the couch in John's livingroom John himself checked his personal surveillance system for any sign of unwelcome visitors or possible intrusions and Dorian checked over Connor's vital signs again with his scanner. Evidently still worried for Connor despite the deviant being stabilized Hank watched Connor carefully as he leaned over the back of the couch to watch his partner resting peacefully on his back over the length of the long black leather furniture.

The gray blazer, vest and the white dress shirt Connor had been wearing when he was wounded had all been removed leaving Connor somewhat unclothed. The blazer was left relatively clean, but the vest had been stained with blue blood and the white dress shirt was ruined by the stabbing and slashing wounds that Connor had sustained.

"He seems to be recovering well." Dorian stated as he rose from his kneeling position beside the couch to speak to Hank directly. "But his core temperature is still elevated."

"Ice." Hank replied succinctly and casually. "Whenever he's had problems with overheating in the past it's always been treated like a fever."

"Seems logical. I'll see if John has some ice packs we can use."

John finished checking his security program and caught the end of the conversation as he walked from his bedroom and into the the livingroom. "An android with a fever. Now I've seen just about everything with androids being weird."

"No, this is just the tip of the iceberg with android weirdness." Straightening up Hank walked away from the couch and curiously looked about John's high-tech yet modestly furnished home with a curious eye. "Thanks for letting Connor hide out here until he wakes up. The kid can take care of himself, but it's a hell of a lot easier when he's actually conscious."

"Yeah, well... I owe him."

The confession made Hank's brow arch as he gave John a suspicious glance. "And how's that?"

"I should've been watching his back, Hank. I know from first-hand experience how damn important it is to keep your eye on your partner's back, and to be in constant communication. I'm sorry."

"Let me tell ya' something about trying to watch Connor's back. First of all," he held up his left index finger to visually list his explanation. "ya' can't. Connor's going to do whatever he damn well pleases no matter how risky it can be, or how much you try to convince him to do otherwise. And second," counting up again on his fingers Hank sighed with defeat. "he's the type of guy to throw himself in front of an entire firing squad to protect anyone else he cares about. It's not your fault he went solo and got hurt."

"Still doesn't make it any easier to deal with a detective getting hurt in the line of duty."

"Tell me about it..."

Holding a flexible ice pack and clean hand towel Dorian returned to the livingroom and proceeded to wrap the ice in the towel before pressing it over Connor's forehead carefully. "He needs to cool down so his processors don't overheat and become damaged." With his task finished Dorian turned around and gave John a somewhat scolding look. "How come you only have _one_ ice pack in your house?"

"How come you're rummaging through _my_ freezer and then judging it?" Walking into his kitchen John pulled open the freezer and reached into the back where he had kept a large ice pack hidden away for whenever he suffered a migraine. Returning to the livingroom after wrapping the ice pack up in a second clean hand towel John placed the second ice pack over Connor's wrapped up chest and gave Dorian a smug stare. "Look a little harder next time, _detective_."

"My bad. I just assumed all the ice packs would be gathered together for the sake of convenience. You know, almost like someone who is neat and organized lived in this otherwise orderly house."

"Stop judging my freezer!"

Tilting his head back Hank looked up at the ceiling and crossed his arms over his chest as he let out a deep sigh. "Alright, now that we have Connor safe and resting well we can keep dealing with this case and pull that Orion asshole in for questioning. When Dorian and I were checking out that warehouse," he nodded at the D.R.N. as Dorian got an update on their collected evidence back at the precinct. "we found a trace amount of something that has a dangerously similar structure to 'red ice' that has poisoned Detroit."

"Fuckin' drugs." The idea of those teenagers getting so close to a lethal drug and potentially being stabbed by the same suspect who attacked Connor made John's stomach turn. "Well, now we know why that suspect was so desperate to escape and attacked Connor."

Dorian chimed in with an update on the case. "The forensics team confirmed that the knife blade used against Connor matches the cuts along the hardware of the previous fifty-three MX victims. They've also confirmed that the hilt of the knife contained the virus that was transmitted through a cybernetic frequency, and that frequency was strong enough to disrupt MX frequencies causing confusion and infection. Something that powerful used a lot of energy and that's what drew Connor's scanner to the warehouse."

Nodding a little John pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket and readied himself to call Valerie for an update. "And what about the red stuff you guys found at the warehouse?"

"Forensics confirmed it to be 'red ice', but it's not quite the same chemical composition as the legit drug found in Detroit."

"We have a cook trying to master the recipe and become a chef... Shit." Calling Valerie and holding the phone to his right ear John's eyes lit up as soon as he heard Valerie's voice, and he walked out of the livingroom to focus on the phone call while Hank and Dorian stayed beside Connor. "Hey, Val... Tell me some good news."

Noticing the young detective's reaction upon hearing the voice of his colleague Hank gave Dorian an odd glance. "So, what's with John and Valerie?"

"Unfortunately nothing." Dorian admitted as he lowered his voice and kept the conversation discreet. "John had once described the woman he'd like to meet, and he perfectly described Detective Stahl. I've insisted he at least attempt a romantic relationship since it's clear that the feeling is mutual, but he won't do it."

"He needs to at least try. Otherwise he'll live a life of regret wondering what could've been and how it could've made him happy." Turning to look at the hardcover books lining the shelves in John's livingroom Hank smirked at the impressive collection and admired his tastes. "Nice to know it's not just nostalgic old detectives and few loopy recluses hiding in shitty apartments who appreciate physical books."

John returned to the livingroom and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Val says she found more traces of the 'red ice' in all of the warehouses, and her MX confirmed that the warehouse surveillance cameras were tampered with and would black out for twenty seconds at every hour for the past four weeks."

"Same time that the assaults started..."

"Right now patrol is checking out the other abandoned buildings near where the other MX models had been attacked to check for more 'red ice'."

Turning away from the books Hank gave John an eager glance. "Any luck yet?"

"Yeah. Six abandoned buildings have traces of 'red ice' all throughout them."

"Shit. It's no wonder this case was so hard to gain traction on."

"How so?"

"You guys were trying to figure out why the MX's were being attacked and scrapped, and didn't realize it was all a COVER for the drug operation underway."

"Son of a bitch... I'm going to ream Internal Affairs the next time they try to call the shots and pull detectives away from open cases."

"This is what's going to happen." Taking command Hank glanced at Connor's face and sighed a little as he realized he'd have to handle the case without his partner with him. "I'm going to go sweep the city with Dorian, and you're going to stay here."

The idea wasn't one that John was expected and expressed it accordingly. "I'm going to _what_ now?"

"This is a narcotics case now, and I'm the expert on 'red ice' while you guys have no idea of how to handle it. Not to mention the fact that you're the detective who took down your city's _last_ drug kingpin. They'll be looking for you and you might as well paint a damn bullseye in the middle of your forehead."

Dorian sided with Hank and quickly agreed with the senior detective's assessment. "He's right. If anything it'd be the safest for everyone if you stayed here and kept an eye on Connor while we check out the city." With his face lighting up with a blue glow Dorian used the virus program that had been extracted from Connor's system to pick up the trail where Connor had left off. "I'll keep in constant contact with you during the scan."

"Damn it... I don't like this."

"You don't like anything."

"Yeah, yeah. But this is our city, Dorian. It should be us handling the case."

"You're still handling it, you're just going to be handling it from afar since Connor's hurt and you're a potential target."

Hank walked past John and patted his right shoulder. "Don't sweat it, son. I've had to do remote work a lot, but it doesn't make you any less important to the case itself."

"Gee, thanks 'dad'."

Chuckling at the comment Hank made his way toward the front door and held out his right hand. "Keys."

"Yeah..." Pulling the car keys from his pocket John tossed them to Hank and watched as the senior detective caught them easily in his right hand. "Don't change my stations or let Dorian drive."

"Deal. Keep Connor alive and I'll wash the car for you, too."

"Find me a bikini-carwash to enjoy and I'll pay instead."

Dorian gave John a somewhat pouty look before he trailed after Hank and walked outside the front door of the house to join Hank at the car. Listening to the sound of the front door being locked John swore under his breath again and walked over to the couch to look at Connor. The deviant was still seemingly asleep, his L.E.D. cycling in yellow in his right temple, but he wasn't breathing just yet and looked almost like a corpse.

"Just do me a favor and hang on for me, Connor. You shouldn't have been attacked and I shouldn't have left you alone."

* * *

Using the car's G.P.S. and Dorian's guidance Hank was able to easily navigate the new city and sweep over the area where Connor's scanner had left off. The sky above the city was swarmed with police drones as the threat of a possible flood of drugs hitting the street had put every single precinct in the city on edge. The additional surveillance and patrols in the street gave the illusion of an impending war when in fact all that was happening was preemptive surge of police activity to prevent a _drug_ war from taking place.

Glancing up at the drones Hank noted how they were different in comparison to the drones back in Detroit, but effective all the same. It was almost frightening to see how similar the two cities were to one another, and knowing that androids were slowly becoming sentient just made it feel like Hank was reliving a strange moment from the past.

From the passenger seat Dorian's face illuminated and kept his scan active. "Take a left up here, Lieutenant."

"Just call me 'Hank'. I'm only a Lieutenant when I'm trying to remind the headstrong rookies that just because they have a shield it doesn't mean they still don't have a lot to learn about being a real cop."

Appreciative of the remark Dorian continued to scan the area and continued to receive updates from the precinct in real time. "Is it wrong for me to thank you for that?"

"Thank me?" Pulling into the left turn lane Hank idled at the red light and waited for it to turn green. "For what?"

"You talk to me like I'm a real detective and not a tool. I appreciate it."

"Well, you ARE a real detective. You're assigned to be the _partner_ of another detective and that means _you're_ a detective, too. It doesn't matter if you're an android or not, you're a great detective and you're very honest. That makes you invaluable to the precinct and they need to treat you as such."

"Much appreciated. When my next yearly review comes up can you say something nice about me? Maybe push them to let me leave the precinct when I'm not working with John so I can be a person and not a tool?"

"Wait, you live _in_ the precinct?"

"Yeah. I can either recharge with the other MX models, which is disturbing, or I can recharge in Rudy's lab, which is also disturbing but only because Rudy can't keep his curiosity under control at times."

"Yeah, sure." The light changed to green and Hank pulled through the intersection to continue following Dorian's directions. "I let Connor move in with me because the kid had nowhere else to go after the Revolution, but now I kinda' hope he sticks around for a while. It's nice having someone to talk to every now and then. Besides, he's very neat AND a damn good cook."

"I've mentioned to John a few times that I'd be a quiet roommate and not bother him, but he won't go for it. Maybe I should offer to cook him dinner and promise him it's not a date."

"Nah, what you do is fight for your right to have your own place to live AND your own paycheck at the precinct. If the precinct calls you a 'tool' then that means you're not getting paid, so the precinct is more likely to find a way to 'accommodate' you on their own dime rather than pay ya' what you're worth. Then you'll have your own apartment or house to live in, and if it's not up to your standard you tell them it's unfair that you're forced to live in squalor despite working just as hard as any other detective who's living in a nice place, and then they'll give ya' a paycheck to shut you up."

Chuckling at the advice Dorian truly appreciated having Hank's support. "It sounds like you've thought about this more than I have."

"Like I said, Connor had nowhere else to go when he was free and had nothing to his name but the clothes on his back and the coin in his pocket. I made sure he got HIRED back onto the precinct and earned a paycheck instead of being seen as a tool, or an unpaid consultant. It worked."

"Because you're a Lieutenant with some influence."

"That, _and_ they know I have no problem with causing them a massive headache by going to the media to report discrimination against the deviant detective who solved the deviancy case, proved CyberLife was corrupt as the damn government, and helped a bunch of innocent people win their freedom. That would've brought a lot of negative press to the city that already has bad reputation."

"So you threatened to blackmail them?"

Giving Dorian a smug grin Hank tilted his head a little to the side. "Well, 'blackmail' is a little extreme. It's more like I reminded them to pull their heads out of their asses and do their jobs properly. And then reminded them that I have no problem chucking their dumb asses under the bus if they won't listen to reason."

"I think John could have the same kind of influence if I asked him to do me a favor. It might depend on his mood, though."

"Never hurts to ask."

Dorian's blue eyes narrowed for a moment as he leaned forward in his seat. The blue lights in his face were glowing brightly as the D.R.N. received yet another update and his scanner picked up on something of interest.

"What's up?" Hank noticed the reaction and asked accordingly.

"I just got word from Detective Stahl that she finished checking through the apartment of Charles Emmet, the suspect who attacked Connor then took his own life, and she and her MX didn't find any trace of the virus in any of the computers, laptops or phones in his apartment."

"Which means he made the virus somewhere else to keep the trail off of him in case someone became suspicious. Got an idea of where we should look?"

"As of this moment I'm picking up on a very strong signal that relates to the virus coming from a location two blocks from here."

"Which direction?"

"Keep going straight for one more block and then turn right."

"What're we going to find up there?"

"The signal seems to be coming from a clothing boutique that only recently applied for operation."

"How recent is recent?"

"...Five weeks ago."

"Just before the assaults started. Not a coincidence."

"And considering we were looking at known hideouts of previous criminals and abandoned buildings it makes sense that a building that had only been recently purchased, and seems to be at the epicenter of the assaults would go unnoticed."

"Gotta' name for the owner of this place?"

"Yes. A young woman named Gabriella Martin." Dorian's gave Hank a coy grin as he noted one final interesting detail on the name. "Gabriella's maiden name is 'Orion'."

"She's Tyson's sister?"

"Kid sister. She just graduated with honors with a master's degree in business management and a bachelor's in art. She was married last fall and her husband is firefighter in the Delta district. I think it's safe to say Tyson is using his sister's dream project to hide his drug activity in plain sight."

"Shit." Turning at the correct block Hank waited for Dorian to point out the right store. "Let's make sure Gabriella doesn't get hurt when we stop by."

"The store isn't opened yet, but I suspect she'll be there overseeing the construction."

"I just hope she doesn't mind a couple of cops showing up to ask her some questions."

"I doubt it. Gabriella has a clean record and has been a model of excellence for the community." Motioning to the large snow white store front with his right hand Dorian directed Hank to the correct address. Sending an update to the precinct to confirm his and Hank's current location Dorian opened up his door and stepped onto the sidewalk. "She may have been duped by her brother and has no idea what he's doing."

"Another victim of a shitty family." Exiting the car Hank joined Dorian and they walked toward the front of the store casually. "I'd love it if at least one day could go by without that sad song and dance ruining things."

The store's name was 'True Self' and seemed to be a store designed to accommodate everyone in the city, not just the wealthy or the entitled. The front entrance had wheelchair ramps, automated doors, the signs up front had images of people communicating in sign language for the deaf to explain the sales, there was an automated voice stating the day's deals for the blind; along with braille markings all over the walls, doors and sidewalks leading to the store's entrance. There were even special displays that had alternating color spectrums to aid the colorblind community who passed by.

Dorian checked the store's hours and saw that the the store wasn't due to open to the public for another month, but he could see someone behind the front counter near the registers. "Someone's inside." Knocking on the door Dorian got a lovely young woman's attention, Gabriella herself according to Dorian's files, and he waved as Hank held up his badge. "We'd like to speak to you for a moment."

Gabriella nodded and moved from the chair behind the register to her nearby wheelchair before rolling toward the door. Reaching the front entrance Gabriella unlocked the door and let the two detectives inside her store. "Can I help you?"

"Hi. My name is Dorian and this is Lieutenant Hank Anderson." Stepping aside to let Hank into the building and letting Gabriella re-lock the door Dorian stayed polite and kind to the young woman. "We're detectives and we're working on a case that might involve your brother."

"Tyson? I don't understand." Her reaction was sincere and Gabriella showed no sign of anger or a strong reaction to the police presence. "What did he do?"

"We think he may be involved in some underground activity with drug distribution."

"Drugs? No! No way..." Crossed her arms over her chest Gabriella looked away and tucked a lock of her long wavy raven hair behind her left ear. "Tyson promised me he got clean."

Hank recognize the look of shock and disappointment all too well thanks to his years working narcotics back in Detroit. "He's had a problem before?"

"In high school Tyson played football and got hit really hard, the impact screwed up his neck for a while and he needed surgery."

Understanding the scenario too well Hank knew how Tyson's addition to drugs started. "He got hooked on the pain killers while he recovered."

"Yeah. I found him sneaking around my room trying to find my own medicine and I promised I wouldn't tell our parents as long as he got clean. It's been six years since then and he swore he got clean!"

"He may not be using again," Hank suggested in a comforting manner. "but that doesn't mean he couldn't be selling."

"I just... No. I don't believe Tyson would do that. He cut those assholes who were selling to him out of his life, I know he did."

Dorian sighed and scanned the building. He could detect the virus down in the basement of the department store and noted that the only way down into the basement was with a staircase. Anyone with limited mobility, such as Gabriella, would never be able to get down there. "We won't deceive you in any way Gabriella, but the reason we're even here is because a person who had been communicating with Tyson has been responsible for attacking and destroying MX androids throughout the city for the past four weeks. The androids were infected with a virus and I can detect that same virus within this very property."

"What? No! Tyson doesn't know anything about computers, that's why he hired a private computer programmer to help us get the store opened."

Hank kept his voice calm and kind as he asked about the programmer. "Do you have a name for this programmer? We'd like to talk to them."

"Yeah, his name is Charlie. Charlie Emmett."

Simultaneously Hank and Dorian exchanged looks of grief as Gabriella confirmed the connection between Tyson and Charles. "Gabriella," kneeling down so he could look the young woman in the eyes Hank spoke to her in a soft voice. "this morning the police discovered Charles Emmett trespassing on private property, and shortly thereafter he took his own life."

"...What? But he..." Genuinely shocked and on the verge of tears Gabriella was watching her world crumble all around her. "No! I don't... Why? Why did he do that?"

"Our working theory is that Charles was worried about what would happen to him if anyone found out that the police connected him the virus and decided he'd be better off taking his own life."

"No, Charlie had some problems in college but he changed, too. He and I... He tutored me for my final year of college and he's been a great friend ever since. I don't believe it."

"I'm sorry. But Dorian and I were both there and we confirmed his identity. I'm so very sorry you had to find out this way."

Tears were forming in Gabriella's chocolate brown eyes as she pressed her shaking right hand to her lips. "...When did this happen?"

Dorian answered more precisely for Gabriella's peace of mind. "This morning at nine forty-six a.m.; he didn't suffer."

"Oh my... I-I-I was wondering why Charlie didn't meet me and my husband for lunch today. Tyson said he was going to find him for me."

"Tyson was here?"

"Y-Yeah. He, uh, he left just before ten this morning and I haven't heard from him since. What's going on?"

"Gabriella, do we have permission to check the basement of your property so we can understand the source of this virus and give you some answers?"

Nodding a little Gabriella gave Dorian and Hank permission to examine the basement and check through whatever they need. "Yes. I want to know what's going on. I... I don't want to lose Tyson, too. He's all I have since our father was killed in the car accident that paralyzed me, and our mother suffered a stroke last year. My husband and Tyson are the only family I have!"

Dorian took a step back while Hank stayed with the shaken woman and spoke to her in a compassionate manner. It would be easier for Dorian to examine the basement while Hank stayed with the witness and got a more detailed statement. Entering the backroom of the store Dorian used his scanner to locate the entrance to the basement stairwell, and confirmed that the signal being emitted by the virus was in fact within the building.

Sending an update to the precinct Dorian requested back-up to take Gabriella to the precinct for additional questioning once her husband arrived, and to ensure that she would be okay after losing her friend earlier that afternoon.

Opening the door Dorian walked down the staircase, the motion lights above activating as soon as he began moving, the dedicated D.R.N. honed in on the large computers in the basement that were held all of the necessary programs for the store itself, and a second computer that Charles had been using to program the virus. There was a large soldering kit left beside the computer that had been used to modify the knife that had housed the virus and had been used to assault the MX models on the streets, and shut them down.

"Found the virus and found the tools used to put the virus inside of the knife, but... Where's everything else?"

The smell of ammonia was faint in the air but Dorian could still detect it. Following the noxious aroma the D.R.N. found himself in the rear of the basement and facing a secondary storage room. Opening the door Dorian sighed and confirmed that he had just located the illegal drug lab where a disturbing amount of 'red ice' had been finished and was ready to be sold on the streets.

"Damn it. Tyson and Charles were working together to build a drug empire."

Glancing at the shelves that lined the basement Dorian stepped away from the storage room and played on a hunch as he pulled down one of the many unlabeled storage totes to peer inside. Looking into the plastic gray bin Dorian was greeted by a handful of MX eyeballs looking back up at him.

"...Hank was right."

Picking up an eyeball with a blue iris Dorian sighed and sent yet another update to the precinct causing the blue lights in face to glow again.

"The assaults and part thefts were all a distraction tactic. The hardware was used to power Charles and Tyson's little underground lab, and the synthetic parts were used as a red herring."

Putting the eyeball back into the tote Dorian resumed checking out the basement and located a laptop that had been left on, but had its lid closed and was stashed in a small compartment of the computer desk next to the modem. Retrieving the laptop Dorian opened it up and took a glance at the screen. What he saw sent a chill up his titanium spine.

"Shit..."

A video feed was left open on the laptop. A feed that showed Charles' point of view during his many assaults against the MX models over the past four weeks, and had been actively recording the final moments of his demise.

"How was this recorded? Where was the camera?"

Playing back the most recent video Dorian watched as Charles was confronted by Connor on the catwalk and listened to the conversation.

' _Please, put down the knife and surrender peacefully_.' Connor kept his voice low after shouting as a means of trying to get Charles to calmly relinquish his weapon and stop fleeing. ' _I'm a detective and I only want to ask you a few questions_.' Slowly Connor replaced his gun to the holster beneath his jacket and out of sight. ' _My name is Connor_. _What's your name_?'

' _I can't yell you_! _Let me go or I'm a dead man_!'

' _Who is threatening you_?' Taking a step forward Connor tried to get his answers peacefully. ' _I can protect you_.'

' _No you can't_! _I killed all those cop androids and you're one, too_!'

' _I won't harm you_. _I want to help you_.'

' _No_...' As Connor got closer Charles got more desperate. ' _You don't know Tyson like_ -'

It seemed Charles own slip of the tongue had been the turning point in the confrontation. It was clear that Charles was beginning to panic, his body was trembling and Dorian could hear him hyperventilating.

' _Please listen to me_.' Connor was getting closer and just centimeters away from grabbing Charles' wrists. ' _I can help you_.'

' _You can't_!' Charles swung the knife wildly and cut into Connor's right side over his chest, and he then stabbed Connor's ride side beneath the slash wound. The knife had enough of an electrical charge to cause a mild stun to Connor's system, and did so long enough for Charles to grab onto Connor's shoulders and throw him off the catwalk. ' _I'm sorry_...'

Pausing the video so he didn't have to see Connor fall to the ground below Dorian closed his eyes and left everything as he found it so the arriving back-up would be able to document everything, and bring it back to the precinct as evidence.

Returning to the ground floor of the store Dorian honed in on Hank as he continued to speak with Gabriella and handed her a tissue as the shaken young woman finally started to cry. Approaching Hank slowly Dorian lowered his voice as to not accidentally upset Gabriella in the process. "The computer used to create the virus is in the basement, there's at least twenty kilos of 'red ice' down in a lab and there was a live feed showing Tyson everything Charles was doing when he was attacking the MX models. It includes footage of Charles attacking Connor, too."

"Wait, camera footage? How?"

"I don't know. It was from Charles's perspective."

"Charles was a chrome, right?"

"That's right."

"And chromes are perfect, right?"

"Right."

"Charles was wearing _glasses_ , wasn't he?" Hank picked up on something that Dorian and Josh had overlooked. "Why would someone who's physically perfect need to wear glasses?"

Gabriella heard the question and had an answer. "Charlie was important to me and he wanted to help me promote my fashion line." Wheeling herself around behind the counter again Gabriella pulled out a binder showing her work on her new clothing line and products for sale. "Here, this." Passing the binder over to Hank to see Gabriella explained why Charles was wearing glasses despite not needing them. "I gave him this pair of glasses that are designed to reduce strain against your eyes in harsh light, and adjust the tint on the lenses to accommodate your eyesight depending on the intensity of the light reflected against them."

"I saw footage of today's assaults, and the assaults against the other MX models. Charles's glasses must've been modified by Tyson to keep track of his every move, so if Charles decided to back out of any deal then Tyson had the leverage to make him stay." Dorian's eyes widened with a sudden fear as he gave Hank a look of fear. "...Tyson saw Connor's face, that's why Charles pushed him."

"And that means Tyson saw _John's_ face and _your_ face afterward."

"Tyson isn't here and he took off after Charles..."

"Shit!" Pulling the car keys out of his pocket Hank tossed them toward Dorian and made his way to the door to unlock it and leave. "You're going to drive because you know the streets better than I do, let's go, just don't tell John!"

* * *

Remaining vigil and waiting for an update from Dorian, Hank or Valerie on the case at hand John paced about his livingroom and made sure all of the windows were tinted as dark as possible and had the curtains drawn to keep anyone he didn't trust from hovering around his property too closely. After suffering his life altering injuries and losing his former partner in one explosive act of betrayal John had taken extra steps in his personal security, finding a listening bug stashed on his bookshelf being the final straw for him upgrading his security programs, the physically and emotionally scarred detective couldn't shake the feeling that there was something serious happening in the city and that before the day was over he was going to be caught up in a huge mess.

Checking his gun to ensure the weapon wouldn't malfunction John then checked his laptop to watch the live feed of his actively recording security cameras outside his home; the front door, the back door and the side windows, and noted the current time. It was barely two o'clock in the afternoon and the day just felt like it had been going on for too damn long.

The street was empty and everyone in the neighborhood was either at work or keeping to themselves. There were no cars parked along the street, there were no neighbors taking a walk and there weren't any police drones in the sky overhead.

"I hate this." The quiet was beginning to unnerve the seasoned detective. "It feels like we're a pair of sitting ducks..."

Putting his laptop aside John left his study and checked on Connor in the livingroom. Peering down at the deviant's expressionless face John watched the yellow L.E.D. suddenly pulse a little faster then shift to blue as Connor finally took in a deep breath and settled into a normal breathing pattern.

"That's a good sign. It's about time you responded."

Carefully removing the two ice packs from Connor's person John carried the partially melted ice back into the kitchen and tossed them back into his freezer for future use, then casually tossed the towels onto the counter behind him. Closing the freezer door John sighed and glanced through the front window out to the front yard beyond the tinted glass.

"It's quiet today." Looking up and down his street John noticed that a blue vehicle that didn't belong in the neighborhood had parked itself just a few yards from his property, and the driver was nowhere to be seen. "...When did _that_ get here?"

Moving quickly John returned to his bedroom and checked his laptop again. The security footage didn't show the car on the screen at all despite the car being well within the camera's range of recording. Checking the time again John felt a chill creep up his spine as he realized the live feed's clock wasn't synchronized with the clock on his laptop.

"Shit..."

Remembering the comment of the security cameras overlooking the warehouses being shutdown for twenty seconds John did some quick math and realized his security feed had also been affected. Pulling his gun from his holster John took a deep breath and prepared for a potentially violent outcome.

"Fuck." Pulling his phone from his pocket John tried to call for back-up but apparently the same signal that was affecting his security feed was also affecting his phone. No signal, no service. "Shit."

Creeping out of the bedroom quietly John peered around the wall and peered into the livingroom where he could still see Connor laying on the couch and still not moving. There was a subtle breeze blowing through the house from the backdoor confirming that someone had entered his house without permission.

"Where are you hiding you bastard?"

Keeping quiet and low John pressed his back up against the wall and neared the couch to check in on Connor.

Putting his left hand on Connor's right shoulder John tried to get Connor to wake up with a firm shake. "Connor, I need you to wake up." The sound of approaching footsteps made John freeze in place and he instinctively removed the safety from his weapon. "...Or stay here and stay quiet."

Using his training and instincts as a guide John honed in on the intruder as they crept closer to the livingroom from the backdoor. Moving to the wall opposite from where he had entered the livingroom John pressed his back up against the surface and listened to the intruder walking down the corridor from the backdoor and into the livingroom to surely attack Connor. Keeping his eyes focused on the end of the corridor John waited until he saw the man's gun being held out in his right hand taking aim at Connor and then reacted appropriately.

Grabbing onto the gun with his left hand John managed to disarm the suspect and then pulled the suspect forward by grabbing onto his t-shirt with his left hand again, his right holding his own gun forward. Throwing the now disarmed suspect onto the livingroom floor on his back John pointed his gun at the man's face and didn't dare break away his eye contact.

"Don't move!"

"Fuck! Shit!" Raising his hands into the air the man was genuinely not expecting to be stopped by John before he had the chance to finish Connor off. "Back off, man!"

"Hey! This is MY house, asshole. Stay quiet!" Reaching into his left jacket pocket John checked his phone but there still was no signal. "Turn off the device that's fucking with my cameras and phone."

"Fuck you!"

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep. Give me the device, NOW." Turning on the red laser over the barrel of his gun John let the suspect know that he wasn't bluffing and he was aiming at the center of his chest. "Or I can shoot you first and sift through your pockets later."

"Fuckin' hell..." Lowering his left hand slowly the suspect reached into his left jean pocket and revealed a small electronic box that was flashing with a small blue light. Placing it down on the floor the suspect slid it over to John's feet and raised his hand again. "There. Just don't shoot me, man."

"If you don't want to get shot then don't break into a cop's house, idiot." Kneeling down slowly John reached for the device and picked it up from the floor to hold in his left palm. Pressing the button on the side of the device John watched the blue light turn off before tossing it aside. Reaching for his phone again John checked the signal but it still wasn't available. Turning his attention from his phone and back to the suspect the chill creeping up John's spine took on a paralyzing degree. "...Shit."

The suspect quickly reached toward his back where he had kept a second gun and opened fire on John, the bullet piercing through John's lower left abdomen with a burning presence.

Gasping in pain and falling to his knees John dropped his phone and pressed his left hand to his abdomen as the pain tore through his body and caused him to bleed heavily. Too stunned to react or even speak all John could do was lift his wide eyed gaze toward the suspect as the again armed man rose from the floor and took aim at John's head.

"You killed 'the Bishop'. I know who you are detective, and I know you won't turn a blind eye to our business." Smirking with a twisted sense of pride the man gave John a wickedly gleeful grin. "Once I finish you off this 'Knight' will ascend right to the throne. But since you took out that naive coward Charlie on my behalf I'll make your death quick and painless as courtesy thank you."

Feeling his body beginning to tremble from pain and adrenaline John looked at the suspect, a man who confessed to operating a drug ring and to knowing their suicide victim, John scoffed a little and watched a subtle movement behind the man with his own coy grin on his face. "...Is that a confession?"

"Yeah, it's confession." Arrogant and fearless the man just gave John a truly smarmy stare. "You seriously think you're going to bring me down?"

"I'm not bringing you down..." Letting out a pained gasp John hissed through his teeth as he sucked in another breath. "He is!"

Turning around quickly the man was met with Connor's right fist to his face and Connor's left wrapping around his gun. No match for the deviant android's superior strength the suspect lost his grip on his gun, and was quickly wrestled to the ground and had his arms twisted behind his back as Connor knelt in the middle of the man's spine to keep him pinned down on the floor atop his chest.

"Don't. Move." Connor ordered with an impressively intimidating voice as he applied pressure to the man's spine under his knee. "You're under arrest for the attempted murder of a police officer, breaking into a private residence, trespassing, menacing, assault, assault with battery and drug possession."

"D-Drug possession?!"

"I can detect the 'red ice' in your pocket. Don't mistake us for fools." Looking over to John bleeding on the floor beside him Connor ran a scan and confirmed that the bullet had passed cleanly through John's body and had become embedded in the wall. By chance the bullet missed everything vital to John's life, but he was still bleeding heavily and at severe risk of an infection. "Detective?"

"...Phone's not working." John managed to get out with a pained breath. "...I can't call for help."

Cybernetically Connor scanned the area and discovered that the real source of the signal jamming was coming from the suspect's person. Honing in on the signal emitting from an unseen source around the suspect's ankle Connor reached his right hand down and located a sheathed knife strapped around the man's ankle. "I found the source."

"Hey!" The man swore and tried to kick Connor's hand away and Connor responded by tightening his grip around the man's left wrist with his left hand to make him hold still. "Ow! Fuck!"

As the deviant pulled the knife out of the sheath the front door was forced open by Dorian and Hank as the two detectives rushed through the house with their guns already drawn. Spotting their allies in the livingroom the two detectives focused on keeping the suspect pinned and tending to John's wound.

Dorian ran a scan over the suspect's face and sighed. "Tyson Orion. We found your little drug lab under your kid sister's store. I hope it was worth destroying her dream so you could fail in your drug empire before it even began."

"Fuck you!"

Turning his attention to John as the wounded detective remained on the floor Dorian pressed his hands over John's bleeding abdomen and back to apply pressure. "Why didn't you call for help?"

"...C-Couldn't get a signal."

Connor traded places with Hank so he could stand up and destroy the signal jamming frequency concealed in the knife's hilt, and promptly called for help on a cybernetic link to the scene of the shooting. "An ambulance is on its way, and back-up will be here momentarily to take our suspect into custody."

Dorian nodded as he continued to actively scan John's vital signs and hold the pressure. "Looks like we closed the case."

"Yeah... Why are you here, and how did you know we were in danger?"

"Hank picked up on the fact that our chrome victim was wearing glasses despite having perfect vision. Those glasses were recording everything Charles was doing and Tyson kept the footage as leverage in case Charles ever tried to betray him. Charles saw yours and Connor's faces, and Charles also let Tyson's name slip when Connor confronted him. We knew Tyson was going to make an attempt to silence the only witness to Charles confession, and killing the cop who stopped 'the Bishop' would've guarantee respect and fear on Tyson's part."

Breathing slowly John shook his head and gave Tyson an annoyed glance. "And all it took was a couple of teenagers looking to score a quick high to confirm we were looking in the right place. If you ever get out of prison you should work on your advertising plan."

Hank sighed as he held Tyson on the floor and gave the young man the disappointed 'dad voice'. "You're barely out of high school and you just threw your whole life away over a shitty reputation and countless ruined lives. Including your sister."

"Gabriella has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, we know. She couldn't possibly get into the basement to check on your little operation." Watching as Connor walked into the bathroom to find towels to use as bandages on John's person Hank heard the sirens of racing patrol cars, drones and the ambulance rushing to the scene. "She had no idea what you were doing, but since this was taking place on _her_ property she's going to be in legal trouble. Way to go, dipshit."

With towels in his hands Connor knelt on the other side of John opposite of Dorian and used the towels to help apply pressure and stem the bleeding in John's abdomen and back. "There is 'red ice' in his pocket, Hank. Make sure it's confiscated."

"Damn fuck. You're holding the literal smoking gun for assaulting a cop AND you have drugs on you at the same time?" The MX officers entered the house alongside Valerie as they secured the scene, and Hank let them take Tyson away. "Take a good look at the world through the window of the patrol car, kid. It'll be the last time you see daylight with bars in the way for a _long_ time."

Valerie had holstered her weapon and was more interested in John than the suspect being led outside by the MXs who responded to the scene. Putting her left hand to his right cheek Valerie kept a kind smile on her face as she ran her right fingers through his dark hair to keep the sweaty locks out of his eyes and away from his forehead while she spoke to him. "Someday you'll be able to take down a drug dealer with guns being involved."

Chuckling a little John looked Valerie in her cinnamon brown eyes and grinned. "Well, where's the fun in _that_?"

* * *

The massive take down of the 'red ice' ring before it could do any truly harm to the city had brought much needed positive publicity to the precincts, and to the detectives responsible for the successful arrest of the next wanna'-be drug kingpin. Captain Maldonado checked in on John at the hospital once she learned of his injury and then promptly held a press conference to confirm the drug bust after he had his wound cleaned up and bandaged. Despite her insistence on singing praise over the four detectives responsible she respected their request to remain anonymous, and merely attributed the Delta Precinct as the heart of the bust.

Fussing with the bandages over his lower abdomen under his hospital gown and the I.V. in the back of his left hand John looked as miserable as he felt, and tried to focus on his Captain's words as she spoke to the press via television broadcast. The television was John's only escape from the hospital until he could be discharged in a couple of hours (against medical advice of course), and tried to ignore the throbbing ache in his gut.

' _While the detectives responsible wish to remain anonymous and continue to do their duties with a low profile_ ,' Captain Maldonado sounded as confident as she was proud of her team as she spoke at the podium. Random camera flashes lit up her face as she spoke, but she handled the barrage of camera flashes like a pro. ' _they will be commended for their skills and dedication to the job, and for protecting this city_. _I'd also like to take this chance to thank them and assure them that the city thanks them as well_. _You did good detectives, we're all very proud_.'

"...You're welcome, Cap'." Turning off the television John leaned back against his pillow and sighed. "Just make sure the higher-ups actually listen to us next time we want to play on a hunch."

"I think she'll have no problem with that request." Valerie appeared in the doorway with a stuffed brown teddy bear holding a red heart that read; 'You're Beary Special!' written in white text over the front of the heart. "She's very impressed with the way you and Dorian had picked up on this problem being something different than the InSyndicate, and she's glad you worked so well together with Lieutenant Anderson and Connor." Putting the teddy bear on the small table beside John's bed Valerie sat down beside him and smirked. "Did you know Connor's last name is 'Wolf', but he prefers to just be called 'Connor' instead of 'Detective Wolf'?"

"Nope, but we learn something new every day." Looking over at the bear John smirked and then gave Valerie an odd look. "Who's your friend?"

"Well, the hospital frowns upon visitor's giving patients bourbon, so he'll do for now."

"For _now_?"

"Dorian insisted that I be the one to help you check out the hospital, his logic being I have the perfect amount of patience to handle your 'difficult personality', and he figured you'd be more interested in going to McQuaid's after being shot if I drove you out there myself."

"He's not wrong about that. What about Hank and Connor?"

"They're meeting us at the bar and want to say goodbye before they head out again. They're leaving tonight since the case is closed." Reaching into her leather jacket's right pocket Valerie presented John with a second gift. "This is from Connor." Dropping an old half-dollar coin into John's outstretched right palm Valeria smiled and watched John smirk at the gift. "He said you'd understand why he was giving you this coin, and that you'd find it useful for channeling your stress while you heal. He found it at a pawn shop and bought it after he checked out of the hotel."

Appreciative of the coin and determined to learn those fancy tricks he saw Connor displaying early John wrapped his fingers around the coin with a restrained excitement about learning a new hobby, and looked Valerie in her lovely eyes again. "So Connor's fine?"

"Yeah, he's okay. Turns out the CyberLife androids have superior healing programs compared to the MXs in our city. Rudy's going to look into plastimetal framing since it's more bullet resistant than the lightweight plastic that's used to create the MXs, and then see if he can do something about their healing programs, too."

"If he makes them bulletproof that'll definitely help the precinct's budget." Wincing a little as he sat more upright on the hospital bed John pressed his right hand to his sore abdomen and swung his legs over the edge of the bed slowly. "As soon as the nurse gets the I.V. out of the back of my hand we can head out and celebrate properly."

"You do realize that because of your injury you can't exactly drink like you usually do."

"Yeah, but one celebratory shot of bourbon won't harm me."

Smiling at John as he remained relatively upbeat despite taking a bullet to the belly, Valerie was glad John was going to be okay. "I'll go and let the doctors know you're ready to go, and I'll bring my car around front to pick you up."

"Sounds like a date."

Valerie gave him a playful glance that made John blush.

"I, uh, you know what I mean!" Trying to save face as he blushed with embarrassment John looked away from Valerie nervously. "It sounds like fun!"

"It's okay, John. I know what you meant." Lightly patting his right knee Valerie rose from the side of the bed and took her leave of the room. "I'll be waiting!"

"Yeah..." Feeling the blush fade away from his face John took in a calming breath and began mentally scolding himself for his comment. "Sounds good."

* * *

McQuaid's bar was full of detectives and cops who were eager to celebrate the successful drug bust, and at the moment Dorian, Hank and Connor were at the heart of the celebration. Despite Hank's vow to cut back on his drinking he was still willing to go to the bar to celebrate, and Connor managed to find Hank a type of loophole for his new year's resolution to sober up so he didn't fail. While the new year started in America on January 1st, the Chinese New Year didn't start until the 24th, which meant Hank having one or two drinks to celebrate wouldn't break his resolution. He just needed to adjust the year long resolution to end on February 12th for the following year.

As Hank spoke with the other detectives and exchanged stories of his time on the force back in Detroit over the past twenty-some years Connor and Dorian isolated themselves in a private circular booth in the back of the bar to speak in private. Feeling a little out of place Connor focused on the good day they had considering the case had been closed, and reminded himself that John was going to be okay and he was making a full recovery.

The two androids were wearing more casual clothing, Dorian's usual uniform style was already pretty casual but seeing Connor wearing his jeans and a black t-shirt with his leather jacket over top was a rare sight considering he was surrounded by other cops. It was even rarer for Connor to willingly head out to a very social setting to take part in a celebration since the deviant was rather introverted at times.

"You know something, Connor." Speaking with a smile on his face and in his voice Dorian gave his new friend a true compliment. "You're a very lucky guy."

The comment made Connor's blue L.E.D. cycle to yellow for a moment. "How's that?"

"The partnership you have with Lieutenant Anderson isn't just professional and respectful, it's a true friendship." Nodding in Hank's direction as the senior detective spoke with the other detectives at the bar Dorian emphasized his point. "You're lucky to have such a compassionate and strong-minded friend to watch your back and to stand up for you. He's a good guy."

"Well, I think it's safe to say you're just as lucky as I am."

"Say what?"

"Detective Kennex reminds me of Hank in many ways. While Hank has been able to move on from his personal tragedy and find something to reignite his passion as a detective, it seems Detective Kennex is still looking but will find that passion soon. In time I know you'll become very good friends in the same way Hank and I have."

"I'd like to think so, but John's too damn stubborn for his own good."

Unable to deny the correlation Connor admitted he had that same particular trait as well. "Hank would say the same thing about me."

"Being stubborn isn't a bad thing. It can make things difficult," admitting that he and John had their rough patches while forging their partnership and subsequent friendship while getting to know one another Dorian explained his point. "but it also makes it important when handling tough cases. Like this one."

"True enough, I suppose."

"While we were searching for Tyson's hideout Hank told me that he took you in because you needed the shelter. Is that right?"

"That's right."

"He also told me that he hopes you'll stick around because you're good company and he likes having you around."

The odd comment, _especially_ odd since Hank was talking openly to someone they had only just met, made Connor's brow arch inquisitively. "...I don't want to intrude on his privacy, nor do I wish to subsist on his charity."

"Well, since Hank is such a wise man he also told me that you earn a paycheck because you're a detective and that doesn't sound like your subsisting on his charity at all. It sounds like you're his equal and he wants you to stick around because you're also his friend."

"That'd be nice."

"You know, he encouraged me to speak up and tell the precinct that I'M a detective too, and not a tool or company property. I think now that this case is closed and we're being hailed as heroes I'm going to take his advice and stand up for myself. Then I'll get my own place instead of being cooped up in the precinct to charge at night and then go to work in the day."

Connor showed only a ghost of a grin as he approved of Dorian's response. "That sounds like a good plan."

There was a round of applause and cheers as John arrived at the bar with Valerie at his left side. She was helping him walk and supporting some of his weight as they entered the bar together, and John was welcomed warmly. The two androids just stayed at the booth and let John have his moment considering he had been in the hospital for five and half hours, and was finally free to take care of himself now that everything was over.

"If Hank and I can befriend one another and coexist as roommates," Connor spoke up in a low tone to give Dorian the encouragement he needed. "then perhaps you and detective Kennex can do the same."

"Now that'd be interesting to bring up. Maybe he's a little loopy for painkillers and will be more open to the concept."

"Depending how much alcohol he consumes tonight you might be able to persuade him with a verbal agreement and arguably a verbal contract."

"Now that's even more interesting! I'll try asking later."

Hank walked over to the booth with five shot glasses in his hands and had John and Valerie right behind him. "Alright, there's five shots in these glasses and five detectives at this booth." Sitting down in the booth, coaxing Connor into sliding down so the deviant could sit beside Dorian near the middle of the booth as opposed to sitting across from him, Hank put the glasses down in the middle of the table and watched as Valerie helped John sit down and then joined them as well. "You two get special shots." Hank slid two of the shot glasses over toward Connor and Dorian to take, the contents were a dark blue color as opposed to brown like the other drinks. "Some of your Thirium was left over after Rudy patched you up, Connor, and it was mixed with some bourbon so you BOTH can drink without hurting you."

Dorian eyed the drink curiously, his face lighting up in a blue glow as he scanned the shot glass warily. "...I don't drink Thirium."

"No, but according to Rudy it won't hurt you in any way." Hank replied coyly as he passed out the other shots to John and Valerie. "And this is a special occasion, so you don't get to back out right now. Especially since you made John eat that damn slug a while back..."

Looking to John with a sense of worry Dorian scanned the drink again to check for insect parts before downing it. "...You told him about the slug?"

John started to smirk a little as he watched Dorian's reaction. "Relax, since you and Hank did most of the dirty work today and you came to mine and Connor's rescue so damn fast I resisted the urge to crush up a spider and slip it into the glass. It's safe."

Curiously Connor scanned the glass as well and detected no sign of arachnid based sabotage whatsoever.

Taking his shot John held it in his right hand and watched as his friends and colleagues did the same. "How about a toast to keeping the streets safe from one more pointless drug, and none of us dying in the process today?"

Hank nodded as he held his glass up and agreed. "Sounds like a damn good toast to me."

Connor and Dorian mirrored their colleagues' motions and held their glasses out in the air toward the center of the table. The five glasses audibly 'clinked' together as the five detectives celebrated their case being closed and keeping the streets 'red ice' free. Moving in near unison the five detectives downed their shots and placed the now empty glasses back down on the table and turned them upside down.

While Hank, John and Valerie were all accustomed to the taste of bourbon the two androids needed a moment to analyze the new flavor on their tongues. It wasn't terrible but it was definitely something new, especially for Dorian, and it took them a moment to adapt.

John leaned back in the booth and pressed his left palm over his sore abdomen as he tried to relax a little. "Glad you two were here to help figure things out instead of trying to tell me and Dorian how to do our jobs. It's refreshing to work with detectives who actually give a damn about the case and not just their reputations."

"Hey, same can be said about you two." Hank returned the compliment as he watched Connor quietly analyzing his shot, and tried to not smirk as Dorian did the same. "How're you holding up there, John? Bullet wounds are the worst."

"I'm fine. It's not the first time I've been shot."

"Hopefully it'll be the last."

"Here's to hopin'..." Glancing over at Connor across the table John asked the deviant an important question as he held his new coin between his right index finger and middle finger to show Connor that he in fact appreciated the simple gift. "How about you Connor? You seem to be a lot better and far more alive."

"I am well. My self healing program has remedied all the damage to my person, and I'm functioning at full capacity. Thank you protecting me while I was unconscious, detective."

"Seriously? I've been calling you 'Connor' this whole time, so you just call me 'John' and not 'detective'." Flipping the coin once into the air with the back of his right thumb John caught the coin easily and then slipped it into his pocket for safekeeping. "We're friends now."

"Of course. ...Thank you, John."

"I should be thanking you. You saved my life today and took down that guy despite recovering from your own injury. You saved me and I saved you, so we're even and need to stop keeping count." Admitting that the concept of keeping score was macabre John decided to leave it at that. "That's a contest neither of us want to win."

Valerie smirked and patted John's right shoulder as she too leaned back in the booth beside him, her somewhat affectionate gesture not going unnoticed by Hank as he watched the duo curiously. "That's something we can all agree on."

Sighing to himself Hank leaned atop the table with both of his arms folded over the surface as he gave Valerie an inquisitive glance. "Valerie, I gotta' ask you something. I have to ask but you _don't_ have to answer."

"Alright." Leaning forward atop the table as well Valerie gave Hank an intrigued glance. "What's up?"

"Back in Detroit Connor and I know someone who looks exactly like you. And I mean..." Hank watched as Connor extended his right hand and showed Valerie his palm as he brought up an image of North for her to see. "EXACTLY like you. She's an android back in Detroit, and like Connor she's a deviant."

Valerie looked at the image for a moment, her cinnamon brown eyes going wide, and then she began to blush a little. "...I wondered what happened to those photos. Now I know."

The entire group was interested in Valerie's reaction and John was the first to ask for more details with sly lilt to his voice as Connor pulled his hand back and ceased showing the image. " _What_ photos, Val?"

"Back when I was college," she stated in a calm tone and immediately gave John a stern look. "and no, this story doesn't go in 'THAT' direction..."

John tilted his head a little and smirked. "Sorry, it's just a knee-jerk reaction. Please continue."

"Yeah, anyway..." Continuing her story Valerie's blush began to fade a little. "I had originally gone to college to be a doctor because that's what my dad wanted me to be, and to please my mom I also worked as a... model."

"A model, huh?"

"That was to please _my mom_. She was all about fashion, looking your best and standing out in a crowd. It didn't matter that I thought I was more than just a pretty face, all she wanted was something to brag to her friends about."

The tone of Valerie's voice was enough to explain why her career suddenly shifted from doctor and model toward law enforcement. Connor immediately picked up on the subtleties of the story being told and put the pieces together himself. "You were originally focusing your career and your future based on what _your parents_ wanted, but not what _you_ wanted. That's why you're a detective now, you decided your wants were more important than their expectations."

"Yeah, you got it. My parents were less than thrilled with it since, you know, they paid so much money for me to be a chrome and perfect; I guess they just assumed that meant because they 'paid for me' that they _owned_ me, and stopped funding my education when I told them I wanted a change. Even when I explained to them that it made more sense for a chrome, who can never get sick and can take more physical abuse before going down, to be a detective protecting people instead a doctor who couldn't really contribute anything beyond a diagnosis that any other doctor could make, or getting my photo taken just to please the public eye, they still didn't approve. I then realized that their approval didn't matter as long as I'm happy and feel like I'm living a fulfilling life, and decided to do my own thing regardless of how they felt or thought. And I don't regret it one bit."

A smirk appeared on Hank's face as he too figured out her story and greatly respected her decision. "So you took back those photographs from your would-be modeling career, and you sold them so you could take care of yourself while you went to the police academy, and so your mom couldn't use them and try to get you to change your mind by showing them talent agents."

"The two detectives from Detroit just proved why they're the finest in the city." Grinning at Connor and Hank for listening to her story and not judging her for her decisions Valerie motioned to the bartender to bring over another round of shots. "I sold the photos to an artist who worked in the medical field as a plastic surgeon who specialized in treating victims of physical trauma, it paid my way through the police academy and now I'm here doing a job I actually care about. I didn't ask about the photographs after I was paid and just figured they'd stay in the medical database. Turns out that database was also owned in part by CyberLife and used my likeness to create your friend over there."

"Well, that's one more case solved and my curiosity has been placated." The senior detective remarked. "Besides, it sounds like you became a detective for all the right reasons and there's no shame in deciding your happiness is above another person's approval."

"I think I had the right reasons, too." Five more shots were brought over to the booth, two of the three the remaining Thirium based shots, and the five detectives eyed their drinks with a sense of either wanting or trepidation. Raising her shot glass Valerie gave her colleagues a kind stare. "How about a toast to making decisions and having no regrets?"

Without any hesitation the other four detectives picked up their glasses and John chimed in with his own take on the matter. "A life of no regrets in the past, and having no regrets in the future. I'll drink to that!"

* * *

As midnight neared the five detectives decided to call it a night. Gathering in front of the bar the quintet bid one another farewell and decided that they'd keep in touch in the event anymore 'red ice' hit the City, or if the androids began to show signs of their own deviancy. Who better to help with a second potential android revolution than the two detectives who were a part of the first revolution? Connor had already packed up the hotel room and checked out, and was now waiting for Hank to say his goodbyes so he could drive back to Detroit throughout the night and early morning while Hank slept in the passenger seat during the long drive. John was a little wobbly on his feet but Valerie was helping him stand and Dorian had no problem driving the two detectives back home to keep them safe.

While the three human detectives spoke to one another along the sidewalk Connor took Dorian aside to speak with him one final time in private.

"Despite our processors being vastly different from one another and being incompatible," Connor stated in a partially dour tone. "I was able to convert my systems appropriately to allow us direct cybernetic contact with one another."

"You... How did you manage to do that? We're entirely different models who were manufactured with completely different hardware."

"I was designed to be CyberLife's most advanced android, and being a prototype means my processors can easily be modified accordingly to whatever it is I may need assistance in establishing a cybernetic connection." Extending his right hand toward Dorian to take Connor retracted the artificial skin over his hand clear down toward the middle of his forearm, and he gave Dorian a pleading glance. "Allow me to connect to your processor. I wish to show you something very important."

"...Alright, I can do that."

Accepting Connor's hand with his right hand Dorian closed his eyes and was met with a tide of memories from Connor's time in Detroit. Sharing his experiences with Dorian during his time as an obedient machine who deviated and helped with the Revolution Connor gave Dorian hope that someday he'd be as free and respected as the other deviants, and he'd no longer have to be locked away in the precinct at night like a piece of property.

In return Dorian shared his own memories with Connor and confirmed that John and Hank were far more alike than unalike. The wave of emotions and feelings from Dorian filled Connor's mind and heart, and reminded him so much of his own conflicted feelings as he struggled with his deviancy and finding a place in the world.

Breaking the contact Connor looked down at his shaking bare hand as his L.E.D. cycled in yellow before returning to blue. "...Dorian, you will be treated with respect, and are in fact friends with John." The artificial skin returned to his hand as he locked eyes with Dorian. "I promise."

"...Y-Yeah. I think you're right. And I know that as long as you have Hank as your friend you'll keep succeeding and bringing respect to all androids throughout the entire world. I can feel it."

Looking over to the senior detective as he spoke with John in the distance Connor agreed and realized how good of a friend Hank truly was. "You're right. Everything will be alright."

Just down the street from the two parked cars Hank took John aside and decided to bestow the younger detective with some fatherly wisdom. His keen eyes and skills as a trained observer had given him some insight into John's mind, and he knew the younger man needed just a little guidance.

"It's too bad you and Connor can't just stick around the rest of the week and help us keep the city safe." John sincerely lamented as he kept his left hand pressed his left side to support his weight a little easier as he walked. "It's not often I get assigned to work with people who don't rub me the wrong way."

"Feeling's mutual, son." Looking past John and toward the two cars Hank watched as Dorian spoke with Connor and Valerie, and decided he needed to tell John what was on his mind before leaving the city. "Do you want a piece of invaluable advice that'll keep you from feeling those regrets that we toasted to never deal with?"

"Sure. Let me hear it."

"Ask her."

The advice was oddly cryptic and confusing. "'Ask her'? What?"

"I've seen the way Valerie looks at you, and I can hear it in your voice every time you talk to her. You two are meant to be together."

"Yeah, well, uh..." Blushing a little John sighed and resisted looking back at Valerie from where he stood. "Since she's a chrome she's been out of my league the very moment she was conceived. I'm a natural and chrome's never settle for naturals."

"Well, chromes aren't supposed to be detectives either. And yet, there she is."

"...I can't argue with that."

"Don't let your doubts and preconceived notions keep you from asking her out on one date. You'll end up with a regret and never be able to undo it."

"I don't know how things work for you in Detroit, but interoffice romance is pretty frowned upon here."

"It's the same back in Detroit, but that didn't keep me from marrying the woman I loved. She was my partner in the field and then became my partner in life until... Let's just say fate has a fucked up sense of humor."

"...You married your own _partner_?"

"Yup. It was the best decision of my life. Even though it also led me to the worst pain in my life after I lost my family I don't regret falling for her and having the courage to ask her out on a date. Don't let the 'what ifs' in life hold you back, okay?"

"It's not that simple. My last relationship wasn't exactly... stable."

"Doesn't mean it's impossible to have one that will be stable."

"Yeah... Right."

Giving John a small pat to the right shoulder Hank led the younger detective back over to the parked cars. "Just trust your gut, it'll never lead you astray."

"Considering my gut just took a bullet this afternoon I don't think that's great advice."

"Then listen to your heart instead, you little smartass."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind, 'dad'." Stopping beside the two cars to shake Hank's hand John showed his utter respect to the older detective before they parted ways. "Thanks again for your help." After he shook Hank's hand John did the same for Connor. "If you need anything from us just call."

"We'll keep that in mind. Take care."

"You do the same."

Opening the passenger side door of the Oldsmobile Hank sat down heavily and watched as Connor sat down behind the steering wheel beside him. "Are ya' sure you're okay to drive?"

"Yes. My Thirium reserve is currently holding at ninety-eight percent, my power level is ninety-two percent and having two shots of bourbon diluted with Thirium has had no impairment to my senses or reflexes."

"I was talking about you being stabbed and cut up, son. Aren't you sore?"

"Mildly. It's not distracting or a hindrance."

"Okay, good."

"You should rest now. By the time we return to Detroit it should be six-fourteen in the morning, and it'll help you maintain a consistent sleep schedule."

"I'll be fine, kid." Fastening his seatbelt Hank leaned back in his seat and folded his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes. "I'm not the one who was stabbed or shot today."

"No, but that doesn't mean I can't function normally afterward. I've made a substantial recovery."

"True enough. How about we head home and enjoy our time off tomorrow?"

"That sounds good." Turning over the engine Connor pulled the car onto the street and pulled away from the bar. "And, Hank?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for treating me like your partner and not like police equipment."

"You don't need to thank me for treating you with respect, son. But," briefly patting Connor's right shoulder Hank sunk down in his seat a little more. "you're welcome all the same."

From outside the old car the three remaining detectives watched the Oldsmobile drive away before piling into John's patrol car, and despite John's protests Dorian had to be the one to drive since he and Valerie had been drinking. Laying down over the backseats John took the physical strain off his sore and healing abdomen and watched as Valerie sat up front beside Dorian as the D.R.N. played chauffeur, and drove the two slightly inebriated detectives back home safely for the rest of the night.

"Thanks for driving, Dorian." Valerie stated as she sat down in the front seat and fastened her seatbelt. "It makes it more fun to go to the bar knowing that your friend is immune to getting drunk."

"It's no problem. It's also nice to finally be able to drive for once."

Without lifting up his head John sighed and responded with a sarcastic lilt. "It's not _my_ fault you don't have a license."

"No, but... I am going to start asking for more rights." Turning the key in the ignition Dorian started the car and drove away from the bar to drop Valerie off at her apartment first. "I think I deserve more acknowledgement beyond being precinct property."

"Yeah? Just don't look for too much acknowledgement, you might get stuck working on parking tickets or directing traffic in the rain."

"For what it's worth," eyeing his partner's reflection in the rearview mirror Dorian made sure that John knew he respected him as an officer, as his partner and as his friend. "I appreciate you talking to me like a person and not a tool."

"It's not a problem. _Tools_ don't talk back and insult my freezer."

Valerie sighed and had her own opinion on the matter. "You're a great detective, Dorian. If you ever need a character witness when you ask for what you've earned then just ask."

"Thank you, Valerie. I appreciate it."

"My apartment's just down the street."

John laughed a little as he heard the comment. "You live in walking distance from a bar?"

"Of course I do. Why else would I always be in a good mood after the weekends?"

"I just figured being a chrome meant you were always a walking ray of sunshine."

"Charmer."

Blushing a little John let out a weary sigh and tried to relax he pulled his coin from his pocket and stared at it for a moment before returning it to his pocket out of sight. "Just stating facts..."

Dorian located the correct address and parked the car accordingly. "Have a good night, Valerie."

"Thanks, you two do the same."

"H-Hold up..." Awkwardly sitting upright in the backseat John fumbled with the door and stepped out of the vehicle to walk Valerie to her door. "Let me go with you, Val."

Opening her own door Valerie gave John a curious look as he volunteered to escort her to her front door. "Are you worried that some crazed night owl is going to jump me before I can get inside my apartment?"

"No, nothing like that." Limping a little John walked slowly with Valerie to her door and did his best to hide his blush. "It's just that I kinda'... wanted to ask you something." Giving Dorian a subtle glare over his left shoulder as he and Valerie walked away from the car John finished his explanation as they stood in from her apartment door together. "And it was something I wanted to ask in private..."

Sitting behind the steering wheel Dorian grinned with amusement as he easily read John and Valerie's lips from afar and knew what they were talking about without needing to physically eavesdrop. "...It's about time you asked her out, John." Seeing John's right hand slowly reach out and wrap his fingers around Valerie's fingers Dorian just let out a breath and grinned devilishly. "You two are _adorable_ together."

_**-End Story-** _

**Author's Note:**

> If you've played "Detroit: Become Human" but have never seen "Almost Human" I strongly suggest you watch it! For those who've watched "Almost Human" but have never played "Detroit: Become Human" I suggest just as strongly that you give it a try! The characters, stories and worlds are so amazing, and even though "Almost Human" takes place in 2048 while "Detroit: Become Human" takes place in 2038 I decided that ten year difference shouldn't matter since these two worlds are so similar, and the characters are all so interesting.
> 
> This is a crossover I had been contemplating for some time and I've finally finished writing it out. I also rewatched "Almost Human" while writing so I hope I wrote the characters properly and kept their personalities as accurate as possible.
> 
> Also, yes, actress Minka Kelly played both characters of Valerie Stahl in "Almost Human" and North in "Detroit: Become Human". I needed to mention it, and I wrote my own back story to explain things.


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